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Worship and Praise God

Psalm 99:5, "Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool--He is holy."

 We live in a time when we often struggle to understand what is taking place in our lives and in the world. When we experience difficult circumstances and fail to see desirable positive results, we can become discouraged and struggle to understand what is taking place.  We find ourselves totally absorbed with the matter and our focus becomes fixed on the problem.  The burdens of our hearts are real.  We desire good things for ourselves and our families.  We have all experienced times when we have prayed in faith, believing, and yet have not seen or received the answers or results we were hoping for. 

 What can or should we do when we are facing these situations?  It is vital for us, in these times, to refocus!  Rather than allowing our thoughts and feelings to consume us, we need to get our eyes on the One whose purposes and plans will never fail.  We need to put our trust in the Lord of the Universe.

 When we feel lost and helpless, we need to do as the Psalmist David did and remind ourselves of the faithfulness, power, and goodness of God.  We have to remember who God is and that He is always in control.

 The Hebrew word for "worship" in Psalm 99:5 is shachah which means to bow down, to humble ourselves before God, in submission to Him.

 Psalm 22:3 says, "But You (God) are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel."  The word enthroned, yasab, means to inhabit, to dwell in.  This is exciting news!  This verse tells us that God dwells or lives in the praises of His people! When we praise Him, He is present with us.  We gain insight from the following quote from the Kingdom Dynamics section of the New Spirit Filled Life Bible.  "Few principles are more essential to our understanding that this one: the presence of God's kingdom power is directly related to our practice of praising God.  The verb "enthroned" indicates that wherever God's people exalt His name, He is ready to manifest His kingdom's power in the way most appropriate to the situation, as His rule is invited to invade our setting."

 Looking again at Psalm 99:5, "Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool--He is holy." we see that this verse begins with the word exalt. Exalt (rum) means to elevate,  lift up, extol, to make high and powerful.  By proclaiming all that He is, and all that He has done, we exalt Him.  In our exalting Him, our hearts and minds are encouraged and lifted as well, as we remember that there is not one thing that He cannot do, and that He is able to do all that He has promised!  We need to redirect our focus from ourselves and our circumstances to seeing and looking at the Creator and Sustainer of all, to the One who is all powerful, ever faithful, full of grace, mercy and love.

 When we consider all He has done for us, we realize there is no end to, nor words enough, to praise Him adequately.  He loves us, died for us, redeemed us, set us in heavenly places, blessed (and continues to bless) us.  He provides for our every need, He heals us, delivers us, hears us and answers our prayers!  I am sure you can add more to this list...

 There are many scriptures, especially in the Psalms, that encourage us to praise, thank, and worship God.

 Psalm 92:1 and 2, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night."

 Psalm 95:1-7a, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. 4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. 5 The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."

 Psalm 34:1-3, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."

 Psalm 100:1-5, "A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

 Psalm 147:1, "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful."

 Psalm 150:1-6. "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! 2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

 As we redirect our focus and put our attention on God and His greatness, the frustration and confusion melt away.  Psalm 46:1 tells us, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  Isaiah 46:4, "Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."  His power is greater that the enemy's.  His plans and purposes will not fail.  His plans for you are for your good.  Jeremiah 29:11, "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (NAS)

 We need to enthrone Him in our hearts and minds and not allow the enemy's ploys to distract us.  So, when you find yourself being or becoming anxious and distraught by your circumstances or the events happening in the nation or world, intentionally turn your eyes upon Jesus and praise and worship Him!  When you are awake at night and your mind will not shut down, praise and worship the God who created everything that exists, including you!

 Take the advice from one of our great hymns by Helen H. Lemmel:

 "Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

look full in His wonderful face

and the things of earth

will grow strangely dim

in the light of

His glory and grace"

 Remember, He dwells in our praises and worship!

 Praise Him, Praise Him

Praise Him in the morning

Praise Him in the noontime

Praise Him, Praise Him

Praise Him when the sun goes down