Praise God,
from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him,
all creatures here below;
Praise Him
above, ye heavenly host;
Praise
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
This is
probably familiar to most Christians. It is in the form of a doxology. This
Greek word basically means words that offer praise to God. Consider the
following:
“Glory be to
the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”
Or look to
Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
Later in Ephesians the following can be found: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably
more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within
us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (3:20-21)
One of the
aspects of creation I have been looking at over the last couple of posts is the
Sovereignty of God that He is God almighty, who was and is and is to come. That
He is worthy simply because of who and what he is. God.
As God, as
creator of all things, whose power Paul declares to be at work in us, is it any
wonder that we are predisposed to worship Him?
Take a
moment to read Romans 11:36 in which Paul says: “For from him and through him
and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
However,
when we read the opening chapters of Genesis a contrasting picture emerges.
There is, after the Creation narrative a development of the tension between the
examples given of human faithfulness and obedience, and the refusal by humans
to embrace that covenant relationship inherent in the creation. We are made by
God for God, and yet, we have a choice to turn away. To worship or to refuse
any form of obedience. The example of Cain and Able springs to mind here. (And
a fuller exposition of this episode is for a later time.)
The thing is
if we are in active relationship with God – through constant prayer, daily
reading of Scripture - then the natural result is worshipping Him. In knowing
Him, our God, our Creator, our Sovereign Lord and Saviour, then we are aware of
His provision for us. We cannot help but be aware of His blessings. And yes,
even as we are aware of the challenges and hardships that test us so that we
may grow into Him, that we can reach out to Him for His comfort and His strength
rather than relying on ourselves and the weaknesses that flaw us.
So, why do
we give our give our praises to God?
We Give him
all Glory through our worship simply because on all the earth He is the only
One who is worthy of praise! He is the only One who deserves to be worshipped.
He is the only One who is truly good. And He is the only one through whom we
are guaranteed salvation. What more do you need to know? What more do you need
other than to look to the cross? What more is there than to stand before the
empty tomb and see the blood soaked cloths? What more is there than recognition
of His sacrifice of His Son for us? That vital aspect of Himself through which
all things were created? It staggers me to contemplate it.
In
Revelation we read that “what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude
in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our
God …” (Rev 19:1) Now, the verse continues with a declaration that God’s
judgments are true and just, of course they are, He is God and He cannot do
otherwise. The apocalyptic vision goes on to reveal that those who corrupt the
earth with immorality will not meet a happy end. Certainly they do not choose
to praise God as He should be praised even though they are given the option to
do so. In the end every knee will bow ever tongue, reluctant or exalting will
declare Him to be God.
What happens
to those of us, like David, who are “… in the midst of lions … forced to dwell
among ravenous beasts … men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues
are sharp swords ….?” (Ps 57:4) We either fall before the wickedness of our oppressors
or as David, we can reach out with our hearts, and our minds and our praise and
our worship toward Our Father God who is in heaven and declare His Glory before
all else, and bowed as we might be in our distress, sing and make music because
our hearts are “steadfast” in that knowledge of the love of God who created us
and in whom we find goodness and peace and love! And that He is with us through
every single moment of it!
Amen?
Praise God,
from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him,
all creatures here below;
Praise Him
above, ye heavenly host;
Praise
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.