“Let All That Is In Me Adore Him”
This Sunday is Rally Day at First Baptist Church—a time to celebrate what God has done and look with anticipation to what lies ahead. God has been up to some great things in the ministries and lives of the people of First Baptist. We have no shortage of reasons to praise God for what He has done over the past few months at our church. In times like these, it’s easy to find reasons to praise!
However, the question I want us to wrestle with today is: how well do we sing God’s praise in the middle of the storm?
I joke with my wife that I have reverse seasonal depression. I think the world is ending every summer, but when fall arrives, with cooler temperatures, normal schedules, and football back on my TV, I find my outlook on life more joyful. Fall is filled with things I love, and summer isn’t (don’t get me started on sand!).
All kidding aside, the root point rings true for all of us, regardless of the situation: it’s easier for us to praise God when we are surrounded by things we love. It’s more difficult to praise God when we feel like the darkness is closing in.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that we are not supposed to praise God only in the good times, but in all circumstances:
“18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
This verse is part of a larger section where Paul leaves some final instructions with the church at Thessalonica. He lists several things that are God’s will for the church, like praying without ceasing, always seeking to do good to one another, and helping the weak.
It’s God’s will for us to give thanks in all circumstances and situations—not just when life is going well.
Why?
Because thankfulness or praise—giving glory to God—is an act of worship. It’s the reason we were created. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. Romans 12:1 says we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.
The Westminster Catechism says that the chief end of man is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” We were made for worship!
The thing we often forget is that what we worship, we will serve. What holds our heart will determine our actions, and since we were designed for worship, we will naturally worship something or someone else if our worship is not focused on God.
A loose definition I often use for worship is: the thing we care about more than anything else. It’s that thing we feel we can’t live without and that thing we effortlessly sing the praises of.
Let’s pause here: Does anything in your life come to mind when you read that description?
One of our hymns this Sunday, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” ends with a proclamation that we will praise God with everything we have:
“Let all that is within me adore Him!”
Let us take time this week to examine the state of our hearts.
– Do I desire God more than anything else?
– Do I praise God in all situations or only when things are going well?
– What reasons do I have to praise God?
– What do I effortlessly sing the praises of?
– Am I giving God my leftovers or all that I have?
One of the things that constantly amazes me is when I talk with people battling extreme illness, and they are still able to find reasons to praise God. It’s more than just an empty cliché. It’s a praise that stems from a deep understanding of His grace, played out over and over again in their lives.
It’s a praise that has experienced the fullness of what it means to have had Christ on the cross take upon Himself the punishment that our sins deserved, while at the same time covering us with His righteousness, so that when God looks at us, He doesn’t see us as the sum of our sins but as His beloved sons and daughters.
It’s a praise that has experienced God’s grace over and over throughout all the circumstances of life, through:
– God’s peace
– His comfort
– His direction
– His provision
Where is your heart today? Are you in a joyful season where it’s easy to sing God’s praises, or are you in a dark, tired, or depressing season where it seems easier to point out all that’s wrong in your life?
If you find yourself in a season where it’s a struggle to praise, think back on the places where God has shown up in your life.
– When has God comforted you?
– When has He provided for you?
– When has He sustained you?
– How has He shown you His grace and mercy?