Friday, June 20, 2014
From Praise To Presence
Have you ever noticed how the presence of God seems greater during times of praise and worship? I think we probably all have noticed this at one time of another. There seems to come a time when we get to a place of being very close to God when we praise Him. The scriptures speak of this.
Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
The literal translation here means says that God is enthroned upon or sits on the praises of His people. Somehow when we give praise to God, He shows up in those airwaves in some way. He is committed to us, to hear our cries.
Psalms 22:22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
We can also see this when David sang a psalm to God. An interesting example appears in Psalms 95. It begins with David saying calling out to the people to join him in praising God. Through the first seven verses we see David encouraging us to praise God, telling us why we should praise God, and finally a way in which we should praise God.
Psalms 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Then in verse eight, things change. In the first seven verses it is written (and sung) from the perspective of the people about and then to God. From verse eight to the end it is written (and sung) from the perspective of God speaking to us, His people.
Psalms 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
During the time of the singing of this song, God shows up and begins to speak to us. This is that same feeling we have when we spend time with God and have Him show up in some greater way. We are to be the ushers. We usher in the presence of God with our praise.
Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. We love You and want You with us. We long for those times when You are seated on our praises. Forgive us when we forget to praise You and go our own ways. Help us to overcome these shortcomings. Please send us today Your strength, Your power, Your provision, healing, and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.