Last week we started a three week series from the Psalms entitled "Greatly To Be Praised." This title comes from Psalm 96:4 which declares, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!" We have been talking about why we gather together each week and in the last few posts have been focusing in on the aspect of celebrating the communion that is possible with God. Celebrate! I think I know how to celebrate. When my team scores a touchdown, when someone I love has a birthday, when the hero of the story comes in and saves the day. But is my best celebration given to God? Most often not. I hold back. I am sorry to say, I at times just go through the motions. Why is that? Mark Carey quoted C.S. Lewis last week.
"Father, may You be to One who receives our greatest praise and may that praise be great, for You alone are great! As we gather this week, may our focus be given over to You, the object of our praise. May we take great joy in the expression of our delight in You. Amen."
“We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”Mark also shared from Psalm 117 a pattern that shows up in many of the Psalms - there is a "call to praise" and a "cause for praise." I think we often understand that we have been called to worship. I think that's why we show up. However, the cause for praise is often what we forget. Praise for our sports team or a good meal just comes natural to us because we have enjoyed watching or eating and as Lewis stated this praise completes our enjoyment. I think the reason that our greatest praise is not given to God is because we have not come to know Him like we ought. If we really knew Him we could not help but to praise. It would be our obsession, as I believe it will be in Heaven. So how do we get to know Him? We give attention to His Word. This becomes part of the third reason why we gather. To soak in God's Word so that we know Him more fully. We will take a look at this next time.
"Father, may You be to One who receives our greatest praise and may that praise be great, for You alone are great! As we gather this week, may our focus be given over to You, the object of our praise. May we take great joy in the expression of our delight in You. Amen."
Songs for Our Gathering this Week:
Psalm 100
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
by Charles Wesley
One Thing Remains
by Brian Johnson | Christa Black Gifford | and Jeremy Riddle
Greatly To Be Praised
by Brian Eichelberger | Zach Bolen
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