Simple Sunday: Praise with our Lives

Today's Simple Sunday post is by a close friend of mine, learning to praise God with our very lives.

Today I want to [write about] what has changed my life. And that is simply learning to praise God, to really make Him the focus of my love and attention, above all else. I want to look at Psalm 66 today, while reading I was just floored by it, and can’t wait to share.

“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Psalm 66: 1-4 (KJV)

Make a joyful noise!!  I love this so much, and is at the heart of my worship. A simple statement like this, we aren’t asked to worship God in any particular way, with a certain style of music, singing, or praise. He simply wants us to make a joyful noise unto Him. And He wants ALL of us to do this. Our God is great and powerful and deserving of our affections and praise. He should be ahead of all things in our lives, and He deserves all of our praise.

Come and see what God has done,
   his awesome deeds for mankind!
He turned the sea into dry land,
   they passed through the waters on foot—
   come, let us rejoice in him.
He rules forever by his power,
   his eyes watch the nations—
   let not the rebellious rise up against him.  Psalm 66: 5-7

We aren’t just worshiping a God who demands it, we are worshiping a God who time and time again has shown us that He deserves it. God has done amazing things for His people, and is utterly deserving of everything we can give. Who are we in comparison? How can we lift ourselves up against God? This is a call to humble ourselves before our God. It is Him that we serve.

Praise our God, all peoples,
   let the sound of his praise be heard;
he has preserved our lives
   and kept our feet from slipping.
For you, God, tested us;
   you refined us like silver.
You brought us into prison
   and laid burdens on our backs.
You let people ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and water,
   but you brought us to a place of abundance.  I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
   and fulfill my vows to you—
vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
   when I was in trouble.
I will sacrifice fat animals to you
   and an offering of rams;
   I will offer bulls and goats.   Psalm 66: 8-15

We also praise our God for all that he has done for us. When we suffered, when we struggled, it was God who rescued us. Even while we were in our sin God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us, and save us. He is bringing us into His presence, because we can’t get there on our own. This Psalm is written while men lived under the law, thus we see listed the sacrifices that were given to God. We are no longer under that law, but we can still sacrifice for Him. What do we cling to in our lives that we should throw upon the alter and be done with? Our God deserves our first and our best, if we are placing anything at all before God, we need to sacrifice it. Give God our praise, for to Him goes all the glory. Think about how we spend our time, for our praise is more than music at church, or a song in our hearts. Our praise is a condition of our heart. We need to place God first in our lives.  Do we spend as much time diving into His word, or serving others, as we do watching television, or playing video games? How about our time on facebook? Does it eclipse our time with God? God needs to be first in our lives, and we need to devote our time to Him. If we are spending more time in other areas of our lives, then we are praising those things above Him, we have made idols and we need to break them down and turn back to God.

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
   let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth;
   his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
   the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
   and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
   who has not rejected my prayer
   or withheld his love from me!   Psalm 66: 16-20

God has done so many amazing things for me, and for you. Are we declaring this the way we should? I won’t speak for individuals, but as a culture I can see clearly that we are not. And I am not even including non-believers in this statement. Of those that call ourselves Christian, the vast majority do not live a life that shows praise to God. I am not sure how this bit on praise turned into such a look into our lives, but I feel the Spirit leading me to say this, and so I will. [Today on] Easter, look inside yourselves, and at the outward image you present. 

Can people see God in you? 

If you don’t know how to answer, or if you know that they don’t. 

Ask yourself this, what can I sacrifice to the one who gave it all to me? 

How can I make my life a praise to Him? 

Focus on the last sentence in these verses. God gave us His son, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again. No longer do we have to worry about making ourselves right with God as the one who wrote this song did. If we surrender to Jesus our very lives, God will hear our prayers, and His mercy is already showering down upon us. Give praise to the God who created us, and to Jesus for rescuing us. God Bless you all.

-Kirk Curtis, Surrendered

Happy Easter! The King has risen!