“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!” Psalm 105:3
These are commands, giving us opportunities to choose between obedience in praise, or rebellion in complaining. And we can obey in praise, not because of our situations, our strength of will or our freedom of choice, but because of who YOU are, Lord Jesus: the God of Glory, King of Kindness, Potentate of Power, Lord of Love, Ruler of Righteousness, Paragon of Perfection, Judge of Justice, Light of life, Wonder of the world and Savior of sinners, especially of all those who believe.
You are the Focus of eternity, the Fulfiller of prophecy, the Finisher of time, the Final Solution to sin and evil. In you all comes together, all holds together, all works together. In spite of its twisted and cursed condition, the universe continues to operate as you hold the stars in their places, the planets in their orbits, the atoms in their makeup, the details of our lives in line, the timing of events in sequence and the tide of evil in check.
You are the One to rejoice in, the One to glory in, the One to rest in. What a privilege, what a possibility, what a power, to be able to choose to praise you in and for all, to glorify you, thank you and revel in you at all times.
“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (Ps. 105:4). We can obey this command, for you are always there, the way into your presence is ever open, the invitation to come is continually extended to us.
Praise be to you for your open offer of partnership, the way you call us to cooperation with you, giving us the power and possibility of deciding. As Pascal said, you “instituted prayer in order to lend to [your] creatures the dignity of causality.” We can consciously and continually practice your presence with praise and prayer. Along with joining you in your work, this is acknowledging the reality of who you are: the All-present, All-powerful God of Creation.
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in your presence, ever praising your name” (Ps. 89:15). To acclaim you, to acknowledge your presence and power in all that happens–this is a wondrous privilege we can practice every day. In our weakness, we can seek your strength; in our ignorance we can seek your knowledge; in our foolishness we can seek your wisdom; in our smallness we can seek your great presence.
You, Lord Jesus, are truly worthy of worship, of glory, of honor. We exalt you today by choosing to prolifically praise you, to seek you and your strength in persistent prayer, to practice your presence in our thoughts and attitudes, to honor you in our words and work.
Prayer: “May you be richly, powerfully, visibly exalted in my life today as I choose to live for your glory by praising you in all. Amen.”
