PRAISE THE LORD (PART 5)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In that day you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

Isaiah 12:4-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, I am blessed to be able to say this is my 1,600th devotion since the start of The Christian Walk ministry. It has been a journey so far that has taken me through the tail end of the New Testament and into the Old, bringing me to where I am today, in the Book of Isaiah and the subject of praise. Indeed, God has been so good in giving me the gifts to discern scripture and write the words He has given me for seven years now and as great as these years have been, I can’t help but think the best is yet to come. This is because God is a God who makes all things new and fresh and exciting as we pursue His righteousness day in and day out. It’s just one of the many things He does for us, one of the things we should give Him praise for.

As we look at this fifth part of the series, Praise the Lord, we come to the matter of giving thanks for all that the Lord has done for us. Isaiah writes the following words of prophecy to the people of Israel but they are words that should equally apply to us. Look again at our verses for today:

In that day you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”  Isaiah 12:4-6

The people of Israel were going to be released from exile and allowed to return to the holy land of Canaan from where they were taken. God’s judgment had been harsh and they had deserved ever part of it but He would show them that His love and compassion, His mercy and grace and forgiveness, far exceeded His wrath. For just as He had done for their ancestors, God would show Himself as a God who delivers and rescues His people in times of need.

This was reason for praise, reason to proclaim the goodness of God among all the nations, telling all the good things God had done, to tell of His deep empathy and benevolence toward His creation. The people were to sing for joy about the greatness of the Lord God Almighty, exalting His precious and holy name with every verse and chorus. The Lord and the Lord alone was to be the center of the people’s thanksgiving, the focus of their fullest gratitude as they reveled in all the glorious things He had done for them.

Friends, as we close this series today, aren’t you drawn to the call of the Lord from these verses today? Do you not feel as I do, the impulse to take account for all that the Lord has done in our lives and then to praise Him among all people for it?

For when we really sit back and take notice of what God has done, we will find ourselves overwhelmed by the extent of His goodness and grace and mercy and love and power. We can’t help but be. Let us never get caught up in the here and now so much that we forget about what God has done to get us to this point. Let us not be distracted by present day matters to the point that we forget how much God has helped us through matters in the past and is prepared to do it again if we just place our faith, hope, and trust in Him.

In the end translation, God is good all the time. Period. He has blessed us all beyond what we deserve and we should be in no other spirit than the spirit of praise unto Him. Let us join together as brother and sisters in the Lord today, exalting and proclaiming the name of the Lord while singing out these words from the mouth of David:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”  Psalm 107:1

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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