Ppsalm 47:6-7

New International Version

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
    sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
    sing to him a psalm of praise

For Meditation

Praise sets us free from ourselves—from our self-centeredness. When the lyrics of a song serenade the majesty of the Lord and what He has done, it infuses our hearts with joy and we move our lips even when we do not intend to sing. It melts the icy coldness and helps us to find our voice. The heart bursts forth with melodious praises to the Most High King. We get lost in Him as God becomes the center of our being and our love. Earth loses its attraction as heaven colors everything around us and becomes more real.. Problems lose their power,  and fear, its grip. Anxiety, sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, and hatred all get buried in exultation of God as the ego gets crushed. The presence of God captivates our attention and focus. We can taste heaven and enjoy His glorious Majesty. That is the power of praise.

See David dancing with all his might before the Lord and His ark, with shouts of joy (2 Samuel 6:14). Prevail on the king to tell about the joy in his heart, leaping and dancing before the Lord (16). To his wife,  the King of Israel had stooped disgracefully low before the maidens of Israel, as any vulgar fellow would do (20). I love David’s response. He had danced before the Lord and celebrated and would become more undignified and humiliated in his own eyes anytime He celebrates the goodness of God in praise (21-22). Now, if you feel too dignified to dance to the Lord in public worship, think about why God called David the man after His heart.

Do you want to know what praise can do for you? Enemies turn on themselves and destroy each other before they can get to you when you praise the Lord for the splendor of His holiness (2 Chronicles 20:21). Violent earthquakes shake the foundations of prisons and break the chains that shackle the servants of the Most High who praise Him despite their predicament (Acts 16:25-26).

But if you will not praise God for who He is, stones will cry out His praises (Luke 19:40), for nothing can deny Him the right to His natural habitation—the praises of His people (22:3). We cannot rob God of His glory.

So, why don’t you praise the Lord this morning—why not every time? 

His very being deserves it, the splendor of His holiness and Majestic Presence command it, and His mighty deeds solicit praises from all humankind. AMEN!