“Let the Praises Flow” Pastor Hines July 4, 2021

 

“Let the Praises Flow”

Pastor Hines

July 4, 2021

 

The book of Psalms is known for bringing us comfort in our times of distress. The Psalms are songs for all occasions, just like our hymn book has songs for every season of the year from Christmas to Lent, so the 150 Psalms in the bible sing of the birth of Christ, thanksgiving for the greatness of God, the need to change our ways for the better and hope in time of trouble.

Music soothes us and technology creates wonderful…cd’s sound more appealing than 45’s and 78’s and cassette tapes. Voices are like fingerprints. The sounds that come out of our mouth are as unique as our faces. Even the sounds from instruments are all different when they are made with wood, strings, and metals. They all delight us. We all have our favorite sounds and rhythm and words. God has provided plenty for all of us and just when it seems we have learned our favorite tune and it fades away into history, there comes a new song, new lyrics, and we embrace new favorites. 

Psalm 48 is a psalm like no other. The very first verse tells us that God is great and greatly to be praised. It points to God’s high mountain, a mountain so high and beautiful that it brings great joy. We all need and appreciate God blessing us with joy - that fruit of the Spirit that refreshes, energizes and strengthens us for the journey. 

Verse 4 tells us that kings assembled. Metaphorically, everybody who was anybody gathered and they could see the holy mountain. No one either high or low in this life can miss God. The Heavens declare God’s glory. Don’t you know that everywhere you go you leave the footprints of Jesus? When you walk into a room, others can see the light of Christ in you and on you. They may not even know what hit them. Every breath you take and every beat of your heart represents the incomprehensible and imperceptible presence of almighty God of Creation. The blood of Jesus flows through your veins, and if someone would give you a DNA test they would find royalty. You are marvelously and meticulously made – a work of art – designed by God, and you are beloved. Aren’t you grateful to be a child of God? We have so much to be thankful for and there are so many ways to live a lifestyle where we give thanks and show our delight in the goodness of God and share our love for God and for one another. There are multiple ways to do justice and love mercy.  The pandemic, like any crisis, has challenged us and changed us. Families remind me that they are still disoriented, still squeamish about the virus, concerned about jobs and school, wondering about the future of primary relationships, and medical situations. Even the mail system has not returned to normalcy 100%. 

Music is a gift from God to help us cope. Music lifts our spirits, brings pleasant thoughts to mind that pushes difficulties aside just long enough to let us rest and rejuvenate. The songs of the Psalms engages our hearts to help us get over some of the humps we may be going through.

Psalm 48, written by the family of Korah, known for its musical skill, assigned to make a joyful noise, appointed to uplift the spirits of those who were on a journey with God, practiced in the faith. They were oh so human. Still their music was divine! The psalms are not about the singer or the sinner. The psalms are about the creator. The Psalms are about God’s peace that is like a river, God’s joy that is like a fountain, and God’s love that is like an ocean.

The scripture tells us to put God first, to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and everything we need will be provided for us. God’s promise to provide does not mean we will instantly receive everything we want. I don’t have to make excuses for what God does or does not do, what evil God does or does not allow in our lives. Knowing God will provide does not mean we can make out a wish list and expect God to act like a butler and deliver everything we want according to our instructions. No, God’s promise to provide is an invitation to a partnership.

When we pray, we are partnering with God. If we think we can give God orders, or that God is just going to issue us a blank check, we need to think again. If we think that we don’t have any responsibilities in building the kin-dom of God and we can do what we want to do in the church and God won’t care, ‘cuz an invisible God don’t matter. We need to think again. We can’t go anywhere and do only what WE want to do.

Just as we pray that God will bless a harvest of plant crops, we pray asking God’s blessing on the harvest of our prayers. All prayers will not bear fruit just as all plants will not bear fruit. Prayer is a partnership. Our part is to pray – planting a seed for certain spiritual blessings. Our part is to do what God guides us to do or risk rebuke and refinement. As we see in verse 5, panic, turmoil, and destruction can happen suddenly. Our part is to praise God with our whole being, for it is our whole being that God loves and cares for.

Jesus has invited all of us to this table. Everything we need is at the table. Everything we want is at this table. With such a feast set before us, our hearts are made glad, our souls cry out hallelujah, thank God for saving me, healing me, rescuing me, calming me, guiding me, protecting me, challenging me, chiding me, and thank God for my sisters and brothers near and far who pray for me and serve me and whom I serve and pray for and partner with. God has provided all this and more. God is great and greatly to be praised. Let the praises flow, for your sake, for God’s sake, and for the sake of the whole world.