DAY 226 - Purpose of Praise

Psalm 116:1-5, 7-9, 12-14, (NIV) ¹ I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. ² Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. ³ The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD:  “LORD, save me!” ⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  ⁷ Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. ⁸ For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, ⁹ that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.  ¹² What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me? ¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁴ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. ¹⁷ I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, ¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the LORD— in your midst, Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD.

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)  ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

What makes the difference between a faith that stays and one that fades, between a commitment that daily influences our life and one that is soon lost amid many other commitments? Trouble made the Psalmist turn to God, and whatever the trouble, he wanted God to pull him out of it, beseeched God to save his life, and God responded with a deliverance that made a permanent impression on and lasting change in the life of the Psalmist.

Troubles come and troubles go, and it is true that we have had our experiences of deliverance. At some time, in some way, we have experienced an unexpected change in events that rescued us, a problem that was solved, an unexpected blessing was given to us, a regret from the past was lifted, a moment of true forgiveness was made known. Do we fail to allow these moments of deliverance to make any permanent change in our life?

The Psalmist did not go back to life as usual. What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. Praise made the experience permanent. Experiences of God’s deliverance demand expressions of praise or they fade into forgetfulness or they shade into naïve superstition. Praise raises the experience out of obscurity, doubt, and wondering and holds it to the light of reality. Praise affirms that beyond the worst that the world can do to us lies the best of God. Praise is recognizing that though we live in a fallen world, God is still in charge and will work out His good and perfect will. When these moments are offered back to God in praise, they become events that make permanent change in our lives. Praise the Lord.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope October 14, 1984

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell