Praise Makes a Difference

April 10, 2021

This morning when I sat down to do my devotionals, the thought was swirling around that we have always questioned what we will do in Heaven. Personally, I know that the God Who is Perfect has not designed an eternal home for us that will be anything less than perfect for each one of us. But it is hard not to speculate as to what the details might be. This morning, it washed over me that we will be part of the glorious unimaginable celebration that goes on in Heaven, we would say “all the time.” I could feel the joy, the bliss of being in a worship where you have lost yourself in it. There’s something sublime about that, even as I drink in its possibilities here and now. The present fades into its appropriate place in our standing with the God of the universe. Jesus promises us repeatedly that our joy and peace in Him are strong enough, real and permanent enough, to override whatever circumstances are thrown at us. It is for us to abide  in the Word (Abide is a churchy word that we really need to incorporate into our vocabularies and mindsets) because we need His strength as much as we need air. And with the same approximate frequency. I digress.

As I sat at my kitchen table, the gloomy weather outside did not smother the atmosphere of praise and joy that centered around me. The light-hearted gladness of knowing that He will come to get us soon, coupled with the anticipation of the surprise beyond surprises that He has prepared for us, buoyed my spirits to a level far, far beyond issues of the day.

I opened the laptop to Our Daily Bread. The title of the devotional for today is “Finding Joy in Praise.” It is a wonderful discussion of how much joy we can find in praise to God. Patricia Raybon quoted C.S. Lewis that “it is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to His people.” This reflects Psalm 22:3 But You are holy, You Who inhabit the praises of Your people. (Israel) And it describes the lift of our spirits while we are singing to Him.

The article also spoke of Habakkuk’s verses on praise at the end of his book. After citing all the catastrophic events that were transpiring already or looming imminently, he concludes with praising the Lord, finding rich joy in the “One Who ‘marches on forever’.” Habakkuk 3:6 NIRV. And, of course, it’s true: no matter what comes or goes today or tomorrow, God is eternal. And He is eternally watching over us – as it says in Psalm 32:8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Talk about a loving eye on someone: this morning, the God of the universe, Who keeps the planets spinning out of each other’s way, Who is in every sunrise…stretched His hand into my morning to let me know that He’s really aware of me by surrounding me in a cloud of praise thoughts to prepare my mind and heart for the study on praise. After I opened the website and saw the title, I was shedding tears of joy and humility, thanking Him for coming into my little unimportant life. And He let me know, “You’re important to Me.” He is truly beyond comprehension; He offers this relationship to every human on earth; somehow we need to tell people about our magnificent, loving God and Father.