May 18, 2024

Peer Pressure

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Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness
and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them (publicly) exalt Him also in the congregation of the people
and praise Him in the company of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32 AMP

In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done,
and proclaim that His name is exalted.
Isaiah 12:4 NIV

Exalt –

to extol, make plain, raise up, lift up glorify

The old hymn says, “The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock. And let the God of my salvation be exalted” (quoted from Psalm 18:46).  Because of our salvation and all God has done (is doing, and will do) for us, we should be extolling His virtues, making plain His grace and mercy and, most of all, glorifying Him.  We are called to do this publicly.

Beth Moore has a wonderful acronym for the word “STOP:”

  • Savor
  • The
  • Observable
  • Presence

If we are observing and savoring God’s Presence in our lives, shouldn’t we be sharing it with others as well?  As adults, most of us feel like we have outgrown the peer pressure stage.  But, have we really?  How many times have we hesitated to speak up?  And let fear of embarrassment or ridicule temper our remarks?  Or let the fear of mis-speaking keep us quiet?

I have not kept Your righteousness to myself, sealed up in the secret places of my heart;
instead, I boldly tell others how You save and how loyal You are.
I haven’t been shy to talk about Your love, nor have I been afraid
to tell Your truth before the great assembly of Your people.
Psalm 40:10 The VOICE

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10 AMP

I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed.
Psalm 119:46 NASB

We should not be ashamed or afraid to exalt our Lord.  When we publicly acknowledge and praise Him, not only does it honor God, it encourages other to trust Him.  Instead of hiding His love in our hearts, let’s shout it out. After all, it’s all about Him.

I will shout for joy as I sing Your praises;
my soul will celebrate because You have rescued (ransomed) me.
Psalm 71:23 The VOICE

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, we come before You today with humble hearts in awe of all You do for us. Help us sing Your praises boldly, not only in our hearts but publicly as well.  May our praise glorify and honor You and tells others of Your great love for us.  In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen – so be it!