Praise

Praise.. that word took a significant turn for me today. Before, praise was just something that I did. I just praised God. Why? Because of His goodness! Because He is worthy! But of course there were times when we just don't feel like praising. Like in my previous entry, sometimes it does not spontaneously come. This is the reality, sometimes it is a bit hard to praise, because certain things may come and cause us to be discouraged. That happened to me very recently.

The natural thing for me to do was to go away and to seek God. To get answers. To get the situation fixed. I prayed and pleaded with God, I implored with Him. I raved and ranted, my heart was in total disarray. I was in a mess. Chaos and confusion was abundant, and there was nothing but heart break in sight.

So I turned to heavens, I looked up. I looked up at God and the heavenly hosts, the angels, the living creatures and the elders, and I asked, "Will you grant me this desire?"

To my surprise, and a bit of shock, a question was thrown back at me.

"Will you still praise?"

Suddenly, the whole of heaven was focused on me. The heavens as well as the demons were all looking to me in anticipation. The question, though so simple, but had a meaning so profound that it made me pause in my step and really consider what that really meant.

Suddenly I realised, that God wanted me to embark on a journey. A journey of total delight and joy in Him. Fulfilment in Him. That God alone is more than enough.

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.

The revelation to me was that delight in God is the end to everything. It is the end result, not the second part of the verse. Often we emphasise on taking joy in God so that our desires will be fulfilled. But it dawned upon me, that joy and delight in God alone is the means to all ends. It is the bottom line. The omega. The answer to everything.

I begin to realise, that the first thing we do everyday, is to not ask how much we can glorify God, or how much we can serve, or how much we can give, but how much joy can we find in Him.

Still awe struck, I responded by lifting my hands, though not literally as it was in a public place that God spoke, but I decided, yes. Ever will I still praise my God. For He is God. That alone i reason enough for me to praise Him.

Ladies and gentleman, it is not the answer to your problem that matters, but it is your response to the situation.

Hallelujah for He reigns.