Our Most Important Work: Praising the LORD!
“Praise the LORD!
(Psalm 147: 1 NASB)
For it is good to sing
praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and
praise is beautiful.”
Yesterday, I lay upon my towel in the sun with my back resting upon the sand. I listened to the voices around me, imagining the conversations surrounding me: moms scolding their little children, siblings enjoying memories of yesteryear, lovers speaking of future plans, children playing and living only within the moment of this one playdate. The language was beautiful, and even though I did not understand or know the actual Italian words, I understood their tone.
Language is something to be admired. The accents, the dialects, the connotations of the words, and the miracle of language brings people together in community.
As I lay there listening, enjoying the moment found in God’s blessings surrounding me, I began to praise God for His miracles, to thank Him for His goodness, and to glorify Him in His majesty. The psalmist knew the truth and goodness found in praise to our LORD!
“Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing
praises to our God; . . “
As I lay there praying, lifting up the two daughters there beside me, I was overcome by the miracle of God’s amazing grace and mercy, delighted in the way our Father orchestrates our lives, and overwhelmingly thankful that it is God who totally controls our steps, our decisions, our plans, our desires, our lives—if we allow Him the place in our hearts He fully deserves. The psalmist knew the truth—knowing why it is so important to us that we pause daily to praise our LORD!
“Praise the LORD!
. . .
For it is pleasant and
praise is beautiful.”
Truly, Our Most Important Work is found in Praising the LORD!
Consider (for a moment) what it is that God does—
- “The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
- He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
- He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
- He counts the number of stars;
- He gives names to all of them.
Great is our Lord and
abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
- The LORD supports the afflicted;
- He brings the wicked down to the ground.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
- It is He who covers the heavens with clouds,
- Who provides rain for the earth,
- Who makes grass sprout on the mountains.
- It is He who gives an animal its food,
- And feeds young ravens that cry.
. . .
- He sends His word and makes them melt;
- He makes His wind blow and the waters flow.
. . .
Praise the LORD!”
(Psalm 147: 2-9 & 18 & 20b NASB)
The psalmist knew the pleasure to be found in singing praise to our LORD.
Truly, Our Most Important Work is found in Praising the LORD!
It is the LORD who takes care of our every need. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed of our LORD:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child
(Isaiah 49: 15-16a NASB)
And have no compassion on
the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but
I will not forget you.
[the LORD of the heavens & the earth will never forget those who are His!]
Behold, I have inscribed you on
the palms of My hands; . . .”
The Lord Jesus Himself reminded His disciples (when teaching them to pray) how God knows our needs even before we bow before Him in prayer.
“So do not be like them;”
(Matthew 6: 8 NASB)
[Jesus speaks of “them” those who raise lofty prayers only to be applauded by the masses.]
“for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
- The psalmist reminded us how the LORD cares for His creation!
- The prophet explained why it is so important (to us) that we pause often to praise our LORD!
- Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who gave His life for ours, reminds us how our Father is aware of everything that we need!
Since Our Most Important Work is found in Praising the LORD, why do we hesitate, why do we wait, & why do we not make growing in grace our top priority—If we know?
As with everything, within God’s Word, we are given the answer to that question as well.
It is the apostle Peter who wrote:
“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unscrupulous people and lose your own firm commitment,
(2 Peter 3: 17-18 NASB)
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
May we—
- Delight in who God is & not just in what God does for us.
- Determine upon Whom we will place our focus.
May we wait—
- Placing our daily trust in the LORD.
- Knowing that He will always do what is best.
- Realizing & even remembering that as we wait, God is at work!
As we recall the writings of the psalmist, of the prophet, and of the apostle,
May we—
Recall the words of our Savior Jesus Christ, remembering (perhaps) Our Most Important Work is found in—
- Growing in Grace.
- Trusting in the LORD.
- Placing our focus upon Him daily.
- Trusting Him in the wait. &
- Praising Our LORD!
Truly, there is so much to be found in a simple day upon the sand, and even as I lay there listening, enjoying the moment found in God’s blessings, I found myself lifting praise to the LORD for His miracles, thanking Him for His goodness, and glorifying Him in His majesty. I found myself lost in the miracle of God’s amazing grace and mercy, delighted in the way our Father orchestrates our lives, and overwhelmingly thankful that it is God who totally controls our steps, our decisions, our plans, our desires, our lives!
“Praise the LORD!
(Psalm 147: 1 NASB)
For it is good to sing
praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and
praise is beautiful.”