So below is what I shared...apparently I left out (unintentionally, believe me!) the part about my wife & kids in the 2nd service. So here is the full enchilada...
What does “praising God” look like for me? More to the point, how does “praising God” work itself out in my daily life? What does it mean for me to praise the Lord at all times and in all seasons, to have His praise continually on my lips, as David says in Psalm 34:1? These things have been fresh on my mind this past week as Pastor Steve asked me to share some brief thoughts on praise. Let me share with you where I’m at this morning.
It is natural for a lot of us to associate PRAISE with singing during a Sunday morning service. After all the Bible talks a good deal about “singing praises” to God in the assembly of His people. Indeed it is commanded. But PRAISE goes well beyond an hour or so on Sunday morning and is meant to encompass all of our life.
When I consider what it means to praise God in my daily life, I think of those moments when God’s goodness, greatness and presence demand a response from the deepest part of my being. As I respond in praise I find that He draws near to me, and, as a result, I am transformed. But, for me, praise also becomes a test of my obedience – will I choose to praise God even when the circumstances of my life are difficult, burdensome and (from a human standpoint) unfair? Do I allow my circumstances to determine whether God is still worthy of my praise? That’s where praise goes way beyond saying the right words and singing the right songs. It’s praising God with tears in your eyes and an ache in your heart.
There are many things that naturally call me to praise my Savior and my God. In these moments the command to praise God seems a rather easy one to obey. I read of His love for me in the Bible, how Jesus’ death has bought me life, and my heart is moved to thank Him with a song. Lord, your love is amazing! Jesus, through your sacrifice I can offer up these praises to my Father – because of Your love I can draw near to the living, holy, sovereign God of the universe. I think about His protection (Lord, deliver me from evil), His provision (give me this day my daily bread) and His guidance & strength (lead me not into temptation). Lord, thank You for giving me the strength to fight that battle, to love that person as You would have me love him. I marvel at the beauty of freshly fallen snow, feel the warmth of a March breeze, am dazzled by the brilliant colors of a rare bird in my front yard (SEE BELOW!) – and my heart is full of thanksgiving for the God of creation. Then I consider my wife, how she loves me and our children, and I praise Him for how He has blessed me with such a beautiful, life-giving friend and partner. I see the image of God reflected in my son and daughter as they play, laugh and create – and I turn it back to Him in joyful, awestruck praise. These things move me to praise the Giver of all good things through prayer, song and deed.
What is much more difficult, and where I have struggled and continue to struggle the most, is praising God when His presence doesn’t seem so near, or when my prayers go unanswered. A few years ago my wife and I experienced an intense period of loss, heartache and confusion. My wife was involved in an accident that totaled our one car, my son was hospitalized with a serious illness and my father-in-law, a pastor, was diagnosed with and quickly succumbed to an aggressive form of melanoma cancer. The last circumstance shook us to the core, and every raw emotion imaginable was expressed to God. Why would God allow this to happen to a man who had so much life ahead of him, who had a heart for the broken and had just begun to enjoy being a granddad? But through the tears and the sorrow we were able to sing, “You give and take away,/You give and take away,/My heart will choose to say,/ Lord blessed be Your name.” We look back and see that God was using that experience to refine us and to shape us, according to His purposes.
Some of you know, and some of you do not, that my wife and I are still in the process of trying to sell our house in AZ. You all have seen the news, the statistics, what is happening with the housing market. It hasn't been an easy journey for us, and there have been dark moments. The question for us is, will we praise You God even when things look so bleak from a human perspective? When the housing market is going down the tubes? We have felt Him draw close as he teaching about us contentment, patience, faith and what is eternal.
It seems that God is constantly asking me the question, “Am I still worthy of your praise?” even when you are walking in the wilderness. To quote from another Matt Redman song, “Let Everything That Has Breath,” can I “Praise Him when I am laughing…(and) when I am grieving”? It can be so easy for me to sing these songs but to live them out is an entirely different story. PRAISE is a daily sacrifice that acknowledges that God is the One in control and ALL that is good is from Him. We can see the moments He has tested us and disciplined us and how He has used those experiences to refine us and strip us bare of all our false dependencies and instead cling to Him.
In closing, I want to say, it is an honor, privilege and blessing to serve as a worship leader here at Living Word. Music is a wonderful aid in praising God – it has a unique ability to help our hearts and minds to encounter God. But praising God is meant to be a 24/7 activity. As a worship leader I am constantly reminded – sometimes painfully – that God is calling me to PRAISE him in every situation, Sunday to Sunday.
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