Psalm 111:1-4 "Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. (2) The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. (3) His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. (4) He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion."
In this Psalm, it seems David is encouraging the Lord's people to give praise
unto the Lord. Then he said, "I WILL praise the LORD with my whole
heart." I am made to think this morning on that subject of praise.
What is praise? I'm sure it means different things to different people.
This devotion is not a critic's point of view as to the subject of praise. I'm
not saying what is right or what is wrong. I believe praise and worship are
matters of the individual's heartfelt need. Yes, there are times when
praise is an absolute necessity in our lives. The question arises, "Should
we not always praise the Lord?" I think we should, but it seems
praise comes in different levels and different modes.
There are times when I can praise the Lord through some of the modern praise
songs. I admit I am not a fan of all of them, but that is due to my taste in
music. There are times when the old hymns that were written hundreds of years
ago speak to my heart and praise begins to flow. I like Southern Gospel music
and many of those songs bring tears of praise and glory unto the Lord. The
child's song, "Jesus Loves Me," brings praise from my heart. I
enjoy music with instruments. I enjoy music sung acapella. There are times I
make up my own songs as I'm riding down the highway. The main point that
is to be made is "I WILL praise the LORD with my whole heart."
As David wrote those words and as I read them, I was struck with the thought
that praise is not just a noise in spite of what I wrote in the previous
paragraph. There are times when music is not even involved with my
praise unto the Lord. Sometimes it is spoken. Sometimes it flows
from my heart without an audible noise. My thought is that praise is the
expression of the heart in gratitude unto the Lord. Praise comes forth as we
have a realization of just how great and marvelous our God truly is. The
remaining portion of this Psalm speaks of some of the reasons why David was
adamant in declaring that He would praise the Lord. His praise, though a
personal matter, went to the degree that He was determined to speak of the
greatness of God "in the assembly of the upright, and in the
congregation."
Could it be that we have become timid in our praise unto the Lord? Could it be
that we have settled for our praise to become a matter of the heart without
making it a matter of public announcement to others that we love and serve the
only true and living God Who is not matched by any other? Has God been
gracious to you? When was the last time you shared that with others?
David was determined to praise the Lord, but also he was determined to
encourage others in their praise. Are we that determined?