You are My Praise

Texts:
- Psalms 93-96
- Luke 11-12
- Matthew 1, Luke 2:1-38

Lord, You came through yesterday and gave me mighty reasons to praise throughout the day. Certainly, lessons went well at school, especially in Bible class on a very difficult topic, I finally feel fairly well rested, and my wife is wonderful. And more! I still struggle though against the seeming callousness of my heart to give You praise. I have this aversion to sounding trite or repetitive, like all my prayers must be creative or something. It's hard because even as I know that this is wrong it's still hard for me to change that attitude. So You change that attitude and deliver me from hardness of heart and trivial concerns. You are my God and You deserve more praise than a "thousand lifetimes could explain, if all the the trees of forests were pens and all the oceans ink."

Interesting connection this morning as well as I read Psalm 95. The beginning of the psalm is exorting the people to praise the Lord, for You are God and we are Your people. Then it says "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..." Apparently, lack of praise happens when hearts become cold, hard, and dismissive. Or even more telling, when hearts become selfish. The next part of the psalm says that the Israelites hearts were hard, and thus not able to worship, at Meribah and Massah. These were the places where the protested to Moses to bring them water, for God was not looking after them. They became unfocused on the greatness of God and instead became focused on the greatness of their needs.

Sound familiar Lord? It sure does to me. Who is the one who has been sitting around whining about how stressed he's been because of all that is on his plate, not sure which direction to go next? Who has been so focused on getting the next thing done that he hasn't even had time to really think about what You would have him do? Oh, right that is me.

And talk about stress coming from that. The mind-blowing last line of the psalm addresses what happens when we harden our hearts, let our problems become bigger than our Lord: "They shall never enter my rest."

Wow. I mean, that's exactly what I've been concerned about. That's been one of the problems I've been focused on instead of You. And now I see why I haven't felt Your rest at all over the last few weeks. It's simply my lack of praise, my lack of worship, my lack of awe, my lack of fear, my lack of right relationship with You.

So restoration. Let's get us back on track Lord Jesus. Start with my heart, soften it. Allow my breath to be that of praise again today. You are mighty, and have answered prayer in mighty ways. You are the amazing one who comes to deliver me in the perfect time, in the perfect way. I want to be restored to my proper fear-of-the-Lord, knowledge that You can deal rightly with all in my life. Restore me to that! And I know that You will...

Today, may Your face shine upon me and may I respond with proper joy and praise. May I continue to see Your wonders poured out upon me in the normal, without going above and beyond what's expected, because You have already gone so far above and beyond in answering my prayers. Blessed are You, Lord God, my Praise, for the breath of life that creates and protects and sustains. Lord God, my Salvation, I praise You for creation, and I ask that You continue to protect and sustain. For this, and in anticipation of Your answer, I breathe in joy and thankfulness every moment today. Amen.