Praising God in the Church and Beyond

I Chron. 29:10-11  Then David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, “O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever!  Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty.  Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom.  We adore you as the one who is over all things.”

When was the last time you praised the Lord in the presence of the church?  When I grew up, it was normal for a time of testimony be given in church.  Even though I did not value those things then as I do now, I believe we do the church a great disservice when we do away with public testimony time.  We need to know what the Lord is doing amongst us.  We need to hear the praises of people serving the Lord.  We need to share our testimonies as we recall the workings of the Lord in our lives.  The Lord wants to hear our praises.  In fact, He makes it clear that if we don’t acknowledge Him before men, He won’t acknowledge us before our Father.  If we can’t give our testimony to the church, how can we expect to give our testimony to the world?

It is good for the church to give praise and thanks to the Lord.  It is a necessary part of our spiritual growth.  Real faith is never self-contained.  It grows and glows in us and flows from us.  It blesses those who may be struggling in their faith and inspires them to remain faithful.  It blesses the body as they learn that God is still on the throne and actively is involved amongst the living.  If you cannot bear witness of what the Lord means to you and is doing in you, you will never be the person God created you to be and wants you to be. 

Praise and thanksgiving deepens one’s love for the Lord as we recall His love for us.  How can we not love Him more when we feast on the wondrous presence of God in us and in our living?  The thing that set David apart from all the rest was his awareness of God’s goodness, mercies, and love.  He was a man after God’s own heart and praise and thanksgiving were as natural to him as the air he breathed.

In all things and at all times, give praise and thanks to the Lord.