It’s in Your Praise!
HOPE: Holiness. Obedience. Power. Expectancy.
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Lose Your Religion – Don’t Lose Your Praise
Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises, For God is the King of all the earth; . . .God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. Psalm 47:6,7(a), 8 (NASB)
Don't leave your praise at the church. That might sound more like a closing statement, rather than an opening one. But I believe it's important that we all understand that church is not the only place we can praise God. As believers in Jesus Christ, and as His blood-washed, adopted children, one of the benefits of our relationship with Him is that our praise is mobile; so is our worship. However, religion keeps a lot of people from embracing that freedom. There is a difference between religion and relationship. Religion says I go to church every Sunday because I "don't feel right" if I don't. Relationship, on the contrary, says I go to church every Sunday to meet God and allow Him to speak into my spirit. I go because I owe Him my all; He gave me His all, so I give my all back to Him.
Today's text instructs us to sing praises to the King because He reigns. All of us don't see Him as King over the earth. We don't all acknowledge that God reigns over the nations, but His Word is true! We can sing praises any time, any place, and for any reason. Notice today's text says what, and to Who, but it doesn't say where. Religion stops some of us from praising God as a lifestyle. Somehow we don't all feel it is appropriate to praise God at any time. God has not called us to engage in religious rituals, but relationship. He has not called us to act on how we "feel," but on His Word, which tells us to bless Him at all times (Psalm 34:1). Somebody needs to lift up a shout to God right now out of a grateful heart. That's where our praise should come from anyway - out of our hearts. Praise coming from a grateful heart toward God will choke out religion that is devoid of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION:
1. Why do you believe some people favor religion over true praise and worship? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Are ritual and relationship connected, or are they two different things? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Why do you feel it is important NOT to lose your praise? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Doing vs. Being (in the context of worship) The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) (Also see Matt. 15:8) Okay, I can already hear what some of you are thinking, so let me quickly get to my point. There is a difference between "being" and "doing." There is a difference between the churchgoer and the worshiper. Going to church every Sunday doesn't make you a worshiper - only regular, intentional, surrendered time spent in God's presence does that. Here is my point: we can "do" worship things, i.e., stand, clap, lift our hands when the worship leader tells us to, for example. But what are we thinking about at the time? Is my mind truly on God and seeking His presence in the sanctuary of my heart? We might say, "But God knows my heart." Yes, He does, but do you know His heart? I believe that's where the disconnect comes. God made us and knows all our secrets, but have we sought Him enough to learn His heart? What kind of worship does He require? What is His expectation of us? What I am suggesting is, don't just do worship things; be a worshiper. Whatever your ministry area make the worship of God a personal priority. If you are not active in any particular ministry, still make it a personal commitment to worship God in the manner He wants.
If we worship God only in the way we feel like it, we will never get to real, in spirit and in truth worship. Worship is not for us, it's for God.
QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION:
1. What is the difference between being a worshiper and doing worship things? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Think of the last time you said, “God knows my heart.” What was the circumstance that prompted you to say that? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What are some other areas in life where there can be a disconnect between “doing” and “being ?” __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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About the Book
Award-winning author Donna Renay Patrick fuses praise, worship, and HOPE together. It’s in Your Praise! speaks of HOPE not as mere desire but as holiness, obedience, power, and expectancy. When we offer to God genuine praise, we can expect a changed perspective toward each of these things. When our praise is real, then inner transformation is inevitable.
For too long we have given God religion instead of relationship, great music instead of surrendered worship. In the chapter “The Call to Worship Revisited,” see the difference between words on the Sunday bulletin and a mindset of total worship. In the chapter “A Praise Unlimited,” learn how to create an attitude shift when you speak out God’s praises on a regular basis.
There is a definite connection between your private praise and your public praise. It’s in Your Praise! will help you to embrace the connection.
About the Author
Donna Renay Patrick is an author, musician, worship leader, and educator. She earned a master of arts in Christian education from Dallas Baptist University and a bachelor of science degree from Bishop College. Her book, At All Times, received the 2013 Christian Literary Award in the devotional category. She lives in Lewisville, Texas.