O come, Let us sing to the Lord, Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psalms 95:1-3
This psalm calls us to make sure that our worship and praise are accompanied by hearts that are obedient to the Lord.
But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:3
Through praise we experience more fully God’s Presence…both within us and at work all around us. The Scriptures tell us that God dwells in the praises of His people. He is the Holy God that inhabits the praises of Israel.
The image painted by the psalmist in Psalm 22 is that God sits down and takes delight in the praises offered to His name. God pitches His tent wherever His name is exalted. He camps out with those who acknowledge, glorify and desire His presence.
If you are struggling with pain, sickness or loss and are desperate for a sense of God’s nearness, then start praising His holy name. Cling to God in praise of His love, His protection and His faithfulness. You need Him to set up camp amid your weakness and fear and suffering.
The simple fact of God’s Presence is this: Where God dwells, God rules. He is our authority. When we invite God to dwell in us, He reigns over our hearts. When we invite God to exert His will and presence in our business, He reigns over our business.
Praise is our foremost means of inviting God to take up His residence within us and to establish His Presence, authority and purpose in every are of our lives. As we praise our Lord, we enjoy the warmest, deepest form of fellowship with our heavenly Father. No matter what you are facing, I encourage you to praise Him now.
Praise has a strong emotional dimension. As we see in this psalm, it is not driven by emotions. Praise is driven by our will. That is why we must never say “I prefer to wait and praise God when I really feel like it.” We are to praise God for He is the great God and the great King above all gods.
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Father, we praise You, honor You for You are a great God. You are the King of kings and the Lords of lords and there is none like You. We give You all the praise for Your unfailing love towards us and Your mercies that endure forever and Your goodness that follows us all the days of our lives. It is because of Your love that we give You thanks for the work on the Cross at Calvary. Let us choose to praise and worship You always so that You inhabit in our midst. In Jesus name we have prayed. AMEN!
About Ann Mwafulirwa
thanks, ann…we cannot be reminded too much of how our God WANTS to pitch His camp, and be our protection, our ruler! xo <3
Ann, thank you for this devotional. I was reminded of a time in my life as a young wife and mother that I was struggling. I chose by my will not, my emotions, to praise God, and every day as I did that the struggle became lighter because I realized that God was with me. I had victory over that struggle because “greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world!” Praise God!