Glory and Praise Forever ~ Special Replay
Recently I was reminded that we don’t talk enough about giving God all the glory and praise, and honor He deserves. In this episode of A Few Minutes With God Podcast, Felice shares the importance of praise in worship in our lives.
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We are so busy with our own lives and our own problems that while we might consider God from time to time in the sense of asking for something. We more often than not throw up pleading prayers and say, “Please, Lord – can you do my will?” I am guilty of this, and I am sure that many of you would agree as well. Of course, we should believe, and we should pray and ask the Lord for help. But what about those times we feel like he is not answering us or we don’t feel he is even near?
The keyword here is “feel.” Please know that if you have confessed that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life and you have attempted to live a life pleasing to the Lord – He. Is. With. You. And He is with me! How could we not want to give God the glory and praise He so rightly deserves?
As Christians, we should live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God because we know that what matters is the next life as nothing in this life is constant or stays the same. This life is fleeting. Nothing is meaningful without God – and He is our help and support in times of darkness and trouble. Jesus wants our hearts even when we have sinned and are ashamed; sin isolates us from God. It keeps us away from Him. Sin requires restitution – it requires some type of forgiveness. And, Jesus gives this freely if we ask.
I did some reading of spiritual books during the time of Lent and was so blessed to re-read a book by Sr. Briege McKenna, who I’ve talked about in a previous podcast, who is known as the healing nun. She did not want the gift of healing even though she was completely healed from a crippling disease of arthritis. She was wheelchair-bound at this point, and in a time of prayer, she felt God heal her – she said it was like a banana being peeled. While she was grateful and stood up and gave God all the glory and praise, she immediately started putting conditions on her healing and asked the Lord not to tell anyone.
Yes, she was a nun, but she was not in a cloistered order – meaning that she was around people, she was a teacher and lived in a community and had many chances to interact with people. Yet she still resisted this gift. At a certain point, she finally realized that it was indeed a gift of God, and she would try in her humility to allow God to work within her. She also spoke about the times she spent in prayer no less than three hours each day. She explained that in this time of prayer, she learned about healing and why some were healed, and others were not and also, how she could be an instrument of God’s love in all cases.
She also shared about her times of temptation when she went to “prophet,” who turned out to be a false prophet and an instrument of the devil – and how she encountered Satan that night, and her life was almost taken. When we open ourselves to evil, it allows the door to be opened, and this was a warning to us all.
Do you feel a block in your spiritual life that keeps you from praise and worship? Look at the scriptures and the warnings – 1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.
There is so much demonic influence in our world today with all of the occult movies. I’ve seen some of the commercials, and those are horrific. Why would anyone watch them? Even things such as ESP (extra sensory perception), haunted houses, astrology – which by the way is scientifically proven incorrect, vampires, zombies and on and on and on. Can a movie be considered evil? No, but leading one into sin can never be good – we have to be a willing participant in that sin, and guard our eyes from everything that is not going to be of benefit for us.
Matthew 6:22 – “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
And Genesis 3:5 Genesis 3:5 (Read online)
For many, our eyes are closed, and praising God is the last thing we want to do – yet did you know in your praises God resides, and if you have ever wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, it is time to use your tongue for good! Miracles happen when we are praising God. Sister Briege spoke about what she does in her three hours of prayer, and she said she begins with a time of praise and worship because that helps her to forget the cares of the day.
Can we do that in our lives, begin the day with giving God the glory and praise and leave aside just for a short time the cares of the day, our schedules, what we are supposed to do next? When we pray, we are often distracted right? And, those other thoughts come into our minds – even when at church. We should pray the Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:10 reminds us, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Psalm 26:8 – “Oh Lord, I love the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwells.”
When we praise God, He shows up; He is in the midst of our praises. Some time back, I did a podcast on the praise and worship songs that lift me up, and after hearing them, I am ready to do anything the Lord wills! I am so excited to start my day in this way. Yet, life starts to creep in, and our habits change, and then we find ourselves in despair. You are not alone! I’m right there with you from time to time.
As I’m writing this, a funny story comes to mind. I was in labor with my third child, and I was super excited to be able to be in the deluxe birthing suite! Years ago, with my first two children, no such thing existed—I was in a sterile, surgical room where surgeries were performed. Well, the hospital was full, and there was no room in the proverbial inn – so instead, I was placed in an intensive care unit – while waiting for a room to open up. The nurses were super sweet and told me that I may have ugly accommodations but the best nurses and for any of you who have been in ICU, they are amazing. When the nurses left the pain became stronger. As the pain intensified, I started to praise and worship the Lord! I was really getting into my praises when my husband, who was sitting beside me holding my hand, squeezed it and asked me to lower my voice – apparently, as the pain levels were rising, so were my praises. Yet I did not feel the pain as much at that point and went on to deliver a healthy baby boy who will be twenty-five this year.
Our praises should be from the heart, and we can look at the Scriptures to give us reasons to praise God. 1 Chronicles 16:23-27
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day-to-day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are [a]idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. Do we only praise God when we believe?
Take a look at how you praise the Lord. Make your own list, and truthfully you can begin to praise God anywhere, even in a line at the grocery store!
I tend to start with a litany of praises? Mine tends to be the same… “I praise you, and I thank you, Lord! You are the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end – you are the Name above all names… we can find litanies in prayer books, and I’m sure online if you search, but I feel the best ones are the ones that come from the heart inspired by the Holy Spirit if you have a prayer language use it!
Let’s Pray:
Lord, you inhabit our praises, and I ask that you, please inhabit mine – I know you are here with me now – help me to worship you more frequently and in all things. Thank you, my God, for the gift of faith for the gift of love and for the gift of trust that You are in control and love me greater than anyone else because I was specially chosen and created by you – my Dear Lord I ask you for blessings and for the following people and intentions I pray for now… and I ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.
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