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#1: The Where
Psalm 150 is the final chapter in the Book of Psalms, and it has a lot to teach us about praising God. Psalm 150 begins with ‘praise the Lord’ and ends with ‘praise the Lord’. Therefore, everything else in between must be significant in teaching us about praising God. I discovered in this six verse chapter that there are thirteen occurrences of the phrase, ‘praise the Lord’.
The first lesson from this Psalm is The Where of praise. Where do you praise God? Psalm 105:1 “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!” [NLT]. When the Psalmist says praise Him in His sanctuary and in His mighty heavens, what does that mean? 1 Cor 6 :19 states YOU are His sanctuary, in which we have access to God through Christ Jesus (Heb 13:15). His sanctuary also refers to the gathering of believers as we see in Matt 18:20 and 1 Peter 2:5. When believers gather to worship God, we become the building blocks that God uses to build His sanctuary. And this reveals to us that praise is both hugely personal and corporate. God expects that you offer praise alone and in gatherings with other believers.
How do we get to praise in His mighty heavens? Heb 12:18 – 24 shows us how regardless of where you are, as soon as you say, ‘Lord, I enter Your gates with thanksgiving in my heart,’ God says you step into Mount Zion, into the company of uncountable angels, to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than the blood of Abel; you have come to the presence of God. Truly mind blowing. As we lift up our voices in worship personally and corporately, we are transported to the presence of God Himself, the judge of the whole earth.
Worship is not something to take lightly. Worship is hugely spiritual; when we worship God, spiritual connection happens and it is one of the most powerful experiences we can have. A lot of people think the deeper connection with God is when they pray, showing their need to know God better. Do not get me wrong, prayer is powerful, but there is something about worship that unlocks depths in God that prayers may not be able to access. Picture this; when you pray, you are seeking God; but God is searching the earth looking for worshippers. Be the worshipper who comes into His presence, through His Spirit, with true thanksgiving and heartfelt praise.
About this Plan
As God’s own, one key component in our DNA should be praise and worship. God is drawn to where He is worshiped sacrificially. God can send angels to attend to prayers on His behalf but He attends to worship Himself. Praise is potent spiritually; it can change the seasons of your life. We must make up our minds to give God qualitative praise and worship. Praise is a big deal.
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