Each of the posts this week will cover a different type of prayer, using a different type of psalm. We have seveal guest contributors lined up and I am delighted to read along with you all. (MK)
Day #15 – “Praise” (David Bacon)
One of my recent joys has been playing Spider-Man 2, the video game, while my boys watch me play it. When they watch, some of them get VERY into it. I’ll sit on the couch with the controller in my hands, focus my eyes on the screen, think about the sequence of button presses and stick movements I need to make, and they will JUMP OFF THE COUCH AND BOUNCE UP AND DOWN LIKE MANIACS! They immerse themselves in the action on the screen to the point that they work up a sweat while timing their moves to react with what is happening on screen. Spider-Man will make a great hit and they’ll jump. Venom will take a nasty swing at Spider-Man and they’ll jump again. I’ve even seen one of my sons crouch down getting ready for a big move and then make a super big jump at the right moment; as if the harder he jumps, the better Spider-Man will jump on the screen. These boys get VERY engaged and involved in something that not only is just happening on a screen, but it isn’t even being directed by their actions; I am the one with the controller.
This image reminds me of how we ought to engage in praising God. For a concise guide on praising God, I’ve chosen the popular Psalm 100.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
When we are called to praise God, we should remember why WE are praising GOD. First let’s look at the things about God that make him praiseworthy. There are numerous reasons to praise God. He has saved us from our sin. He has sent his Spirit to counsel us. He has ordained everything that comes to pass. He created physical laws that we are discovering more and more of all the time (well maybe you don’t find that fascinating, but Debbie and I do).
In Psalm 100, the psalmist brings our focal point of praise back to the very beginning. “It is he who made us, and we are his.” We praise God because he has done amazing things, and the first amazing thing we have recorded is that he made us. He made the universe. He made humans. He set physical laws in place to govern the way planets, and moons, and stars, and atoms, and molecules move.
The second thing he has done is called us to be his. We are His people. He is leading us as sheep. He has not left us alone. He has initiated a personal relationship with us.
Now why should WE praise God? We certainly see commands throughout scripture for us to praise Him. But I want to bring us back to the description of my bouncing sons. They are not in the least responsible for the action on the screens, but they participate nonetheless. They jump and bounce and shout with excitement. Does it help Spider-Man perform better on the screen? No, but they are connecting with the visuals of the game in a deeper way than anyone else in the room.
This is similar to our praising God. Praising him doesn’t change what he does. God has a perfect will and he will carry it out. But praising Him gets us involved in recognizing his work. It helps us connect to Him, relationally. We notice the things he has done, and we respond in recognizing that he is good!
“Hey God, that time that you saved Noah and his family from the flood – that was amazing!”
“When you created the whole earth OUT OF NOTHING – that was awe inspiring!”
“The way that you stooped down to earth to save us broken sinners through your own son – that was an incredibly sacrificial way of showing us your love!”
My family usually reads these daily devotions at the dinner table. Maybe you are also reading this together as a family. If so, take a moment, get up from your chairs, pick a song of praise, and sing it to the Lord. This can be your prayer this evening. There are certainly prayers of petition that we should make known to God, but what is our chief end? To Glorify God! So let’s glorify him, let’s get involved in worshiping God for his wonderful and amazing deeds! If you need a song suggestion, I suggest Wendell Kimbrough’s “Give Thanks to the Lord.” It references the last verse of Psalm 100.
Oh Give Thanks (Psalm 107) (youtube.com)