“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy” - Psalm 33:1-3 (NIV)
There are people who do say they do not have an ear or even voice for music. However, for those who are Christians, unfortunately, music and praise, is a central way of life. Basically it is one of those ways the Lord has left us to reach and worship Him. For instance, the Psalms are full of praise. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 91:2). And Psalm 32:11 says "Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart."
Psalm 145:13 says, “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” In the book of revelation praises are constant. “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne ...Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing...Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:11-13).
Music and praise are good to us because it is soothing to the soul. “Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away” (I Sam 16:23). Praises uplifts the spirit when down. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42: 11). Praises opens gates to the throne of God. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100: 4).
Today, do not deny yourself of this marvelous gift the Lord has blessed us with. It is not just an inescapable way of life in Christ but one way to experience his glorious riches. “Praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe” (Psalm 150:4).
Prayer for today: Lord God Father in heaven, today I rise up to give you praise and thanksgiving, that I may rejoice in the wonders of the rich life that in you.
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27/04/2024 - 28/04/2024 All day“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1).
In the wildlife, a common feature is predatory animals chasing after less ferocious ones, which on a bad day become good dinner. Through the savannah plains of Africa the antelope tends to suffer that fate. After a long chase from a mighty lion, cheetah or leopard; antelopes that survive tend to retreat to a fresh water spot. There they gladly refresh their quench with streams of water.
King David, must have been more familiar with deer, as there are more common in the Northern Hemisphere. For us in the tropics we can substitute the deer with our antelope, commonly chased by predators. After a long chase, of course all pant for pints of water.
The significance of this metaphor is that whenever we encounter any situation that puts us on a chase, where do we run to! Habakuk 3:19 says, “The Lord God give my strength. He helps me run fast like deer. He leads me safely on the mountains” (Habakuk 3:19).
Two things of note here. The Lord can make us run as fast as the fastest antelope being chased by a predator to a well of safety. And of course, as we run, we have that the well of God to end up to and refresh ourselves! This is why David wrote, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today like the antelopes of the wildlife I run to you, to that well of life, which refreshes my soul, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
