It takes more than a song or a psalm to praise God.  It takes our whole created being to stop all the noise around us, stop gazing backward to the past and cease overthinking what might happen with what we think we must do next in the future.  Be still in His Holy Presence right now! 

Our God created all and is in all. So, we must learn to daily put our focused attention on God, Our Father in heaven who created the world! Then He put mankind in the world He created to enjoy it. Pause to ponder this amazing truth: God is our Loving Father and at the same time He is God is Almighty and Powerful, the Creator. 

There is nothing in our world that surprises Him for He knows all.  He knew before we knew.  He knows before succeeding generations know. We look over the conditions of the world, hearing of the consequences of war and the famine it causes and we shudder.  We hear of impending elections of less than honorable leaders vying for office to appease those who support them with their wealth and our fear finds a way to make us anxious.  We see and maybe feel for ourselves the abuse humans give to each other and we shrink in the darkness.  We walk with the poor and needy daily and we wonder how to solve the problems of the brokenhearted.

When all these questions come to our small minds; we are perplexed and overwhelmed. We ask God for wisdom but is it His wisdom we seek; or are we seeking to tell God how to “fix” it?  Could this be one of our flaws in what could be a beautiful, intimate, loving relationship with God?  Could we be missing the main character of God the Father who also has all authority as God the Creator? 

We must deal with the “tension” between the two titles and declare God has the One and Only God as we surrender all to His will.  It’s hard to give up control; especially for those of us who like to have “all our ducks in a row” until we realize all the ducks were also created by God.  We are not in charge.  We are not to be praised.  We ARE created to worship the Only One who deserve all our praise and is indeed “in charge”.  When we worship anyone or a thing/object/job/person; we will never be satisfied.  Why?  We were not created for this earth alone; we were created to be citizens of heaven. That is the real tension.

God knew from the genesis of His creation that a Plan to save us must be an integral part of our relationship with God that would last for an eternity.  But it would come at a cost.  God knew.  Jesus knew.  Holy Spirit knew.  God in Three Persons created The Way to remove the imperfections of sin caused by the fall of Adam and Eve that separated us from a reconciled relationship with God.  The Way included Sacrifice and Surrender to God in a tangible way with a cost.  The cost was an unblemished, perfect first-born animal to be brought to designated priests as an act of surrender to God’s commands.  The sacrifice came at a cost to the family. This obedient act by the head of each family covered and atoned for their sins.

Also from the beginning, God always knew that the best Way to remove sin once and for all would ultimately fall on the shoulders of Jesus (God in the flesh) as a final revelation of who God is while demonstrating His relentless, powerful, mighty love for each one of His created.  The Way was foretold by the prophets of God so God’s people would look for The Messiah who would bear the burden of sin as a way to save all who believed from their sins.  But most, even in the cruel world of sacrificing children to idols, could not wrap their minds around a person, who was God, Son of God, and Son of Man, who would come to earth and willing lay His life down to pay for all the sins of the world—once and for all—forever!  But He did.  John 3:16-19; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8 to name a few proven statements of Truth.

Jesus is the Messiah proclaimed centuries before as the Redeemer to come who would remove from our sins that disconnected us from God, the Father.  It is Jesus that our created hearts long for because God created the longing!  Jesus is the God we seek and the Savior sent to save us. Get this! It is this SAME GOD who the Psalmist is praising!

God who created the world came into the world with all authority to save the world He created. Dear Friends, can we pause prayerfully to take this all in?

When we do take time to park, pray and praise; we realize who truly our God is!  Our response then is to fall on our knees, bow before Him and praise Him! It is in these holy moments with God that we begin to realize the depth of His love.  Father God, Almighty Creator God has a great desire for a relationship with the humans He made “in His own image”.   That’s you!  That’s me!  This is all who believe Him! Hallelujah, what a Savior! To God be all glory, honor, and praise!

Forgive us, Lord, when our small thinking puts limits on who You are and what You can and will do! 

Psalm 148, The Message

^1-5 Hallelujah!
Praise God from heaven,
    praise him from the mountaintops;
Praise him, all you his angels,
    praise him, all you his warriors,
Praise him, sun and moon,
    praise him, you morning stars;
Praise him, high heaven,
    praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
he spoke the word, and there they were!

⁶ He set them in place
    from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders,
    and that’s it!

^7-12 Praise God from earth,
you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
Fire and hail, snow and ice,
    hurricanes obeying his orders;
Mountains and all hills,
    apple orchards and cedar forests;
Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
    snakes, and birds in flight;
Earth’s kings and all races,
    leaders and important people,
Robust men and women in their prime,
    and yes, graybeards and little children.

^13-14 Let them praise the name of God—
    it’s the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
he’s built a monument—his very own people!

Praise from all who love God!
Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
Hallelujah!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

2 This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

3 This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

Lord,

I just want what you want—to walk humbly with you in surrender to your Almighty Power, to Your Will and Your Way, to love you back in an intimate loving, growing relationship with you.  I’m yours.  And I’m listening!  Lead me, Lord God!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Yes, and Amen!