Ben Sira 39 : 6 - 8

If it pleases the Lord Almighty he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;
He will pour forth his words of wisdom and in prayer give praise to the Lord. 

Meditation

Is it natural for us to worship and praise or have we just made it up ?  If you take a look at any civilization, worship and praise have always existed in many different forms. Even the most primitive civilizations worship and praise. What is the difference between the two? Worship is expressing your gratitude to God for who He is, what He's done, what He has said and what He has promised to do. Whereas praise is your joyful expression of thanksgiving for everything that God has done for you. We usually associate it with music and song. 

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100)

It's impossible to live without worship or praise. If someone doesn't worship and praise God, they will find someone else or something to worship and give praise to. Think about it, some worship and praise idols such as movie stars or rap singers whereas others money and everything it can buy ! Jesus warns us in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark that it is a waste of our time and His, if we worship only with our lips and not with our heart ! "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

Meet the Challenge

Is giving more time to worship and praise one of your New Year's resolutions for 2021? How about making it your priority this year? I'm sure you know the expression, "I guess all we can do now is pray !" ! which means that most of us usually turn to prayer when everything else fails whereas it should be the exact opposite. PRAYER should be our first priority in every decision of our life. God isn't the cause of pain or suffering. However, He can use a difficult situation to teach us about His Merciful love and bring us closer to Him. We are free to choose our own path as He gave us free will BUT He uses our choices to teach us. Unfortunately, many times we are unaware of His constant presence especially when we are in pain. 

Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28 : 15)

This year, let us worship God, giving Him thanks and praise for EVERY situation in our life ! Through worship and praise our burdens will become lighter and our hearts will be filled with inner peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. 

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:28 - 30)

We love because He first loved us. (1John 4 : 19)

Here are four good reasons to worship and praise God : 

• We were made to be loved by God.
• Everything comes from God.
• We understand life through worship and praise. Life starts making sense.
• God strengthens us through worship and praise.

Let's Pray

"Thank you Lord God for the opportunity of worship,
for the freedom to be amongst your family
meeting together in your house,
and in the warmth of your embrace.

Thank you that in worship we can put aside,
the uncertainties of this world and rest
upon the certainties of the Kingdom,
for your promises are not changeable
as those of a politician might be,
but immovable and eternal.

Thank you that we can bring to your feet
all the hurts and fears that trouble us,
and leave them there,
knowing that your strength and assurance
are all that we require.

Thank you that as we draw near in worship,
we are transported
from a world of concerns and fears,
to a place where we can be at peace in your presence,
find healing, wholeness and refreshment.
Thank you Lord God for the opportunity of worship."

Let's Praise Him

Let's start of this New Year praising Him for His constant presence and love for each and everyone of us ! Alleluia !