Raging Praise

September 23, 2021

“The Mighty One, God the Lord, 

Has spoken and called the earth 

From the rising of the sun to its going down. 

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, 

God will shine forth. 

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; 

A fire shall devour before Him, 

And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.”

—Psalm 50:1-3

How often I want to come to God in quietness and rest to experience the still waters and green pastures of Psalm 23, only to find that he is raging tempestuously. God doesn’t always merely pour oil upon troubled waters. Sometimes he also lights the match. How often I’ve imagined I had the right to wander in and out of his presence at will, thoughtlessly and carelessly. How can I be so arrogant as to imagine I have any right to come into the Presence of the Holy God? It is only because he keeps covenant with his faithless people that I would dare enter his courts (v.5).

“Offer to God thanksgiving, 

And pay your vows to the Most High. 

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, 

and you shall glorify Me…

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me…”

—Psalm 50:14-15, 23

How often have I forfeited deliverance by my neglect of praise? I have been so wrapped up in my concerns that it’s all I think about, focusing on the situation instead of the Savior. No wonder I struggle with my sins! 

“May I praise you in sickness, in turmoil, in poverty, in failure, in brokenness as well as in my successes and the blessings of life. Praise turns my eyes first upon You, the Mighty One, in whose presence everything else pales in comparison.”