Happy Sunday! Welcome back to afaithtalk.com. The Scripture we’re going to walk through today will be included in many services, those that follow the lectionary anyway, so look for it in the one you watch or take part in. It’s far from the only one for today, but I know this would have been the responsive reading in our church if we were meeting today. We’re not meeting again until next Sunday. So keep coming here, Bible Study posts Tuesday and more will come a few days later. This is a very active place and I would be delighted to hear from you. Let’s pray:
Thank You, Father, for these words of praise today. Thank You, Jesus, for the comments You’re going to provide, Thank You, Holy Spirit, for being not just with us but active and very much helping us as we study. Show us how to do what this tells us to do. All for your glory. Amen.
These are the first four verses from Psalm 105 NIV
1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
Give praise
Praise, to praise is to thank and to honor, to remember what He’s done
Proclaim His Name
To tell publicly His Name, to shout it from the rooftops, God is worthy. Or to write it for the public.
Tell what He has Done
This is one thing you can proclaim. What has He done for you? If you don’t know, do what these few verses say and watch, pay attention to see what He will do. He is listening. He is there with you. How do you feel when you do it? Have you asked for any particular feeling? Did your mindset shift? Do you feel a whole lot more peaceful? Or Joyful or even like you have additional energy coursing though you? Tell what He has done. You can encourage a fellow believer by telling what God has done for you.
I shared it in last week’s Bible Study I think, that at my daughter’s insistence, I asked for Him to change my voice and make it a whole lot more gentle. He did. It required trust and paying attention and her confirmation, but He changed it for the time I needed it to be gentle and I know He did that. I cannot do that on my own.
Sing to Him all the time
Pretty straightforward isn’t it? Sing, can I just tell you if you sing along with Klove, you will be singing what He has done and singing his praise. It’s far from the only place you can find worship all the time, but it is my preferred place to spend time. Just let the songs flow over you till you can’t help but sing along.
Tell of His wonderful acts
In case you needed reminding already, tell of His wonderful acts. It’s not something you’re supposed to keep a secret. What He does for you is meant to be shared.
Glory in His holy Name
This might be the most difficult thing to do, but think of it this way, if you’re doing what the previous two verses say, you are giving Him glory and glorying in His name.
Let those who seek Him Rejoice
This too is what you’re doing when you praise and proclaim Him. Seek Him in His word and in your life and in this moment, because He is in the present. He is the present in the present.
Look to Him and His strength
I don’t know about you, but I have no choice but to do this more often than not. The easiest way to do it is to stay aware of His presence, listen and do what He tells you to do… i.e. the words above, and anything else. For instance He tells me how to format Scriptures for Worship when I do the slides. And He provides the words for these posts too. He is always active and I have given Him every part of myself and my possessions to do whatever He will with them. And since He’s told me to blog, I ask Him to provide every single post. And I wait. He is faithful.
Seek His face always
This is the only way to stay aware of His presence. Seek Him as often as you possibly can and watch and listen, He is here. Most often it’s the eyes of our hearts, the ears inside that see and hear Him. It’s far less often to see Him like you do those around you, or hear Him audibly. Though He does that too when He wants to.
He is worthy of all our praise, thanks, songs, time, all our hearts and all our rejoicing. May this day be one full of His praise, His glorification, His honor, His Extolling. Happy Sunday. Yes, rejoice, it can be a very happy day.
Thank You, Lord for these words, for this lesson, for all You do for me and for each of the readers, thank You for growing our faith as we praise and thank You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.