I heard this song last year at the church I was attending. It was so beautifully done I was in tears. Every time I play this song I feel so connected to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It lifts my heart. I find myself raising my hands in my car or out in public while taking a walk. I’m led to show my bold love for God.
This song speaks to the amazing love the Almighty pours out to us. He is our song when we don’t seem to have our own melody. He is our strength when troubles make us weak. He is forever the same and the only one worthy of complete praise.
During the last year, bold faith and expression of that faith has been my guiding principle. God defines me, not the world. God’s desires for me are my desires. I am imperfectly trying to perfect that bold faith. When I first started attending church I felt like an imposter. I knew for a fact that everyone around me had bold faith. And I did not. I stumbled and dusted myself off, all the while reaching out for His hand. I told Him, “Lord you are my hope when I cannot see the day.”
Even when I found myself as a leader of a Bible Study I felt like an imposter. Again, I just knew everyone in the group must know the Bible inside and out. They were probably experts and would see through my inadequacies. So I prayed, “Lord you are my sight, teach me how to walk by faith.”
God has guided me and provided for me through many trials and many joys. He has rescued me and He has bestowed great gifts. And so now I say, “I just wanna take my time and say, you alone are worthy of my praise.”
What praise or worship song brings you to tears? Add yours below in the comments!
I’ve been seeing Charles Spurgeon’s name and quotes pop up frequently in various Bible studies. Spurgeon was an English Baptist pastor in the late 1800s. His first pastoral calling was when he was only 19 years old. He was seen as a remarkable young man of faith with special speaking abilities.
In March, my son-in-law turned me on to the book, Spurgeon on Prayer and Spiritual Warfare. It is six books of sermons in one. The energy this pastor exuded through his speaking and writing is something to which any pastor would aspire. He calls for bold faith, bold prayer, and grasping tightly to God for deliverance. I want all of those. Bold faith, without fear. Bold prayer — pleading for the ones I love, the ones I meet, and our country. And to grasp tightly to God in expectation of answered prayers. One of Spurgeon’s sermons is titled, “To the King Eternal.” For today’s praise, I’d like to share just a small portion of this sermon.
And don’t forget, this is a Praise Challenge — so be sure to add your praise for today in the comments!
“We would begin with adoration. We worship from our hearts the Three in One, the infinitely glorious Jehovah, the only living and true God. We adore the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. We are not yet ascended to the place where pure spirits behold the face of God, but we shall soon be there, perhaps much sooner than we think, and we would be there in spirit now, casting our crowns upon the glassy sea before the throne of the Infinite Majesty and ascribing glory and honour, and power and praise, and dominion and might to Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”
Charles Spurgeon, The Golden Key of Prayer, To the King Eternal
You can feel his love and adoration for God. He longs to be with the Almighty in the most holy of places. Can we all say the same for ourselves? Do the people who see us each day see the Glory of God on our faces? Do our family members feel the love of God bursting out from us and enveloping them? That’s the kind of Christian I want to be. I’m not there – yet. But with God’s immeasurable grace and guidance I will be.
Please share your praise for God, our eternal King, today – who we adore and who we shall soon be with!
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
About 22 years ago I started regularly attending church. As my husband’s family was Presbyterian, we decided to also join our local Presbyterian church. This Doxology, as it is called, was sung after every offering. I wonder how many of us sing songs like this from rote, forgetting the true meanings in the lyrics? How many of us, while repeating Bible verses, reciting proclamations of faith (like the Apostle’s Creed) or responding to the pastor, go through the motions without remembering or even realizing their purpose? That’s how I started viewing the Doxology. You give your money, then you stand up, the music starts, and you sing these four little lines. Amen.
When I paid attention to the words I realized what a great, quick way to send up praise throughout the day. All my blessings flow from God. All of us here on Earth should praise Him at every moment possible for those blessings. He is above all. And lastly, I praise the work God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit performs in, with and for me all day. I’ve been singing this song quietly for the last few days in my head. I haven’t sung it in church or heard it sung for probably about 7 months. But when I started thinking about different ways to Praise God, this old hymn popped up in my head. And so, I decided to look into the background of the lyrics.
This excerpt is from Carl Price’s One Hundred and One Hymn Storiesabout when these lyrics, also known as the Doxology, were sung at an infamous Civil War prison:
The doxology of praise to the Holy Trinity was written by the Rev. Thomas Ken (1637-1710), whom King Charles II once made a chaplain to his sister, Mary, Princess of Orange. Ken was so courageous in his preaching at court that the king often said on the way to chapel: “I must go and hear Ken tell me all my faults.”
Bishop McCabe said that while the prisoners of the Union Army during the Civil War were incarcerated in Libby Prison*, day after day they saw comrades passing away and their numbers increased by living recruits. One night, about ten o’clock, through the darkness they heard the tramp of feet that soon stopped before the prison door, until arrangements could be made inside. In the company was a young Baptist minister, whose heart almost fainted when he looked on those cold walls and thought of the suffering inside. Tired and weary, he sat down, put his face in his hands, and wept.
Just then a lone voice sang out from an upper window, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow”; a dozen joined in the second line, more than a score in the third line, and the words, “Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,” were sung by nearly all the prisoners. As the song died away on the still night, the young man arose and sang:
“Prisons would palaces prove, If Jesus dwell with me there.”
* Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions under which officer prisoners from the Union Army were kept.
Please join me in adding any of your favorite hymn lyrics or excerpts, prayers you repeat in church or likewise. If something else in Praise is on your heart go ahead and add it!
Did you realize that Jesus, in the upper room before His death, cleansed all the disciples’ feet. By all I mean even Judas’ – the betrayer. Jesus, however, made it clear that not all of the disciples had been cleansed. “Those who have had a bath (cleansing of the spirit) need only to wash their feet (to remove the sins of the world from them); their whole body is clean. And, you are clean, though not every one of you.” John 13:10. When Judas left the room with clean feet that’s all he had, clean feet. Feet that would then be sullied the minute he walked out into the world.
By all accounts Judas seemed like a loyal follower in the eyes of the other disciples. He had all the same benefits of following in the Lord’s footsteps. The same teachings. The same experiences with miracles and blessings. But he never surrendered his life over to Jesus. He kept one or even one and half of his feet in the world and with the devil. He mistrusted God’s Word. He thought he knew better. He lived in fear of what the world would do to him if he fully submitted to Jesus.
Contrast that with Peter. I realized today that Peter is the “Martha” of the disciples. Always headstrong and trying to control each situation. He also thought he knew better. However, in his heart he loved and trusted the Lord. He accepted admonishment and the teachings of Jesus. He, as my BSGs (Bible Study Girls) love to say, was making imperfect progress. He had a foot and a half in for God. Until God helped him pull in the rest of him.
I had a couple of encounters with Christian women recently who were counseled to “run to God, for His arms are wide open.” I was so saddened by their responses which included, “How” and “It’s too late for me.” The first reminds me of how, as Christians, we absolutely must share our testimony. We must do the work God makes clear to us in His Word. By enveloping us in His teachings, submitting every single thought, worry, fear, joy, to Him through prayer and petition we will come into His arms. God gives to those who ask. Judas had everything available to him. But he never submitted. He never asked for God to change his heart.
The second response makes me cry. It is never too late in God’s holy timeframe. I’ve been talking with my BSGs and other friends about banging on God’s door. Demanding to let us in. Pleading for his intercession. Not just lukewarm praying. An all-out assault. He has promised His love to us. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come and eat with that person, and they with me.” Rev 3:20. We need to stop letting satan whisper falsehoods in our ears — you aren’t worthy, you aren’t good enough, it’s too late. Take back our lives and put them safely in God’s arms by speaking the Truth of God’s promises. Promises that are clearly and consistently written out for us in the Bible. Revelations continues with: “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne.” Rev 3:21
Sisters and brothers, God is not a passive “spiritual being.” He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent in our lives. He is powerful and that makes you powerful. We can no longer see and hear His blessings and let them roll off our backs like Judas. We need to take what is rightfully ours and plant it deep inside us. We will struggle like Peter. But our love for the Lord will work for our good. So that when we walk out into that dirty world we stay clean, we stay in His arms.
In a world that seems so divided do you know the one experience we will all have? We will all die. Sounds uplifting doesn’t it? And although God doesn’t want us to dwell on our impending death, He does want us to know the truth of our life – that one day it will end. We won’t know the day, the time or even the how, but it will assuredly happen. It will happen to the ones we love and the ones we hate. The ones we’ve forgiven and the ones we just can’t seem to. It’ll happen to the rich, the poor, the Christian and the non-Christian. And yet, so many of us live our life as though this is not inevitable.
The statement, “Fear the Lord” is frequently misunderstood. The Bible constantly clarifies this with meaning to obey and believe the Word of God. Like a parent setting down the rules of the house and expecting compliance, a child fears the correction or lack of freedoms disobeying their parents may bring. The child also knows that obeying and respecting his parents brings a more peaceful and joy-filled household. Knowing that our hour of death will come we should have this same reverence for what God expects of us during our brief time on His earth. We share a common destiny here on earth but not in eternity.
I had an interesting interaction on social media recently. A Los Angeles ministry, Saturate OC, posted an amazing picture featuring thousands of people attending their new outdoor beach ministry. Hundreds were baptized. And yet, I knew in the comments what was to come. “People are dying from Covid! This is irresponsible!” and “Shame on these people! What about Covid!” But one person kept answering: “Focus on the eternal.” No argument, just that statement. Focus on the eternal.
You may be reading this thinking how irresponsible that is. Let’s put this in perspective. I have lived 54 of my 55 years in California. It’s a pretty tough place to be a full-blooded Christian. Talk about living “not of this world!” Unlike the Missouri environment my youngest daughter lives in which sees it as normal to pray in restaurants, California and many Californian’s don’t see God as a necessary and integral part of life. In fact, there’s a lot of disdain for people who “need God.” So, when I saw this picture, I saw hope. I saw God’s work. I saw love. I saw people being saved – for the preparation of their unknown hour of their death.
Right now, on our California freeways a plea is posted about DUIs. It states that almost 3,500 Californians died in DUI related traffic accidents last year. That’s almost the same number of people who have died from the Covid virus in California. When you look at who is dying from Covid you’ll see that about 75% of those are aged 70 and up. Looking at who dies more frequently from DUI related deaths the population most effected are 21-34 year olds. The picture I saw on that beach was exactly that demographic. So, my question to the grandmother who posted her comment that these people were being so irresponsible was this – you say you have “your ticket to heaven already” but you would deny it to these young people? These young people who have more of a chance of dying on their way home from the beach from a drunk driver than from the virus? We would deny them the opportunity to be baptized. Deny them the Word of God and the community of Christians that will support them through viruses, lost jobs, deaths of loved ones, broken hearts, and more? You could argue these people might go to see their grandmothers and infect them and kill them. Isn’t that where the true choices must come in to play?
Saturate OC founders Parker and Jessi Green heard God call them to bring the collective body of believers together to share the gospel at the beach. They were told, “There’s a 50,000 person harvest in Huntington Beach during Summer 2020. Pray for workers.” Who are we, especially as Christians, to question and distrust the work of God? Think of the amazing work we, as a Christian body, could have been doing these last few months had we had the same faith. The same “faith over fear?” The same desire to share the gospel with hundreds of people – ALL of whom will face death at some point.
Yes, God asks us to be discerning. But He also asks us to trust Him. I will never be disdainful and pass judgement on God’s work of bringing people to their knees in prayer and worship. I will always say “hallelujah” when He works in places that have refused Him. I will trust that this work is good and He will take care of the outcomes. One other person commented, “But many Christians who trusted God have died.” We all will die. Thank God they died loving God and having accepted Christ as their savior. One day I hope to meet them all in Heaven.
emboldened.net 