PERFECT PRAISE
Psalm 33:1-8 ~ 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. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
PERFECT PRAISE. This is the thought I had on my mind on yesterday when I went to church. What do I mean by perfect praise? Perfect praise means we give God the ideal praise, without any interruption from outside forces. This means we will not allow our concerns, our issues, our problems to stand between us and the praise that God is due. We will pay tribute to God uninterrupted. Sometimes we must first remind ourselves of why we praise. We praise him because he is as he said to Moses, "I AM, THAT I AM", he is Jehovah/Yaweh. He tells us he has always been and will always be. He is our deliver, our God, our way maker, our peace – Jehovah Salom, our provider, Jehovah-jireh, his is our covering, our Jehovah-nissi, He is our ever present God, Jehovah-shammah. He is our savior.
Once we remind ourselves of who we are worshipping, we can do as the psalmist and sing joyfully. The psalmist tells us to praise him with the instruments. If you play the piano, then play it. If you sing, then sing. Whatever gift you have, use it to praise God.
The psalmist says to sing a new song; one that is filled with the love and thankfulness to the Lord. We are also told to play skillfully. This means that whatever talents we have we should use them to honor God by practicing and giving our best. The psalmist gives a few of the reasons why God is worth praise when he writes that God made the heavens by his Word.
This is that portion as I stated before where you have to remind yourself about who God is. The psalmist was reminding himself of why God was worthy of ideal (perfect) praise. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful God and he deserves our very best.
This praise I am talking about is not only what you do in church. Do you praise God in the quietness of your home? Do you raise holy hands, do you sing, do you give your talents with skill and purposefully? We need to be mindful that we can praise God at anytime. In our homes, in our churches and in our quiet time when we read his Word.
This perfect praise is not only for the mature, but even for the young. It is so important that young people learn that God wants to have a personal relationship with them. He wants you involved in a time of praise with him. He desires to meet you for a time together. Do you set aside a time for God? I know it gets busy and we sometimes forget, but it is really important for us to make that time with God, especially if we desire to grow.
I challenge us this month to begin to make more time with God for worship. Not just a time of asking him for something, but a time where he invites us into his presence and we spend it with him, honoring, loving and adoring him. That's perfect praise!
Prayer: Lord help us to set aside time to have perfect praise with you. It is perfect because we are not allowing anything to get in between us. Not our problems, our worries, nothing. Help us this month experience that perfect praise with you. Amen.
