The Progression of Praise
As I have said, I have grown to appreciate the Psalms more than ever. I used to ignore them as poetry and song lyrics, and obscure messages to Israel. But, as time passes, I see more in each Psalm that applies to us here and now.
There is a progression of Praise hidden in plain sight in the last 6 Psalms. There is not enough space to detail all six Psalms, but let it suffice to just show the progression in the first verse of each of the Psalms from Psalm 145 to 150:
Praise begins in our minds, in a dedicated, willful, intelligent giving of praise to God, the King of the universe. We should make a decision to bless His name forever. But, the point is, that it begins with our mind. It is rooted in the self. We give ourselves to praise. The word here is “I”. “I” will extol Thee, “my” God. Begin to praise with your mind fully engaged. We are to praise.
Now praise goes deeper. It begins in the intellect, choosing to praise, and moves to the deeper part of us: our soul. That is our whole conscious being. We give all of ourselves to the praise of the Lord. It is at this point that we recognize, for the first time, that He is Lord. He is more than God; He is Lord. Our soul digs deeply into the truth that He is Lord, and deserves our praise.
Praise is now having an effect on us. It is taking us over. We are no longer just being strenuous praisers, we are seeing the depth and delight of praise. It is changing us. It is bringing us to a unity with the Lord. We move into true fellowship with Him, and we are changed. We are becoming a beautiful object through Him.
As we move into fellowship with Him, we are brought closer to Him, and we see Him for Who He is, and especially, where He is. He is high and lifted up. He is exalted. And, we are brought up together with Him. Our praise has now changed from coming from our minds, through our souls and our very beings, to lifting us to the presence of the Lord of All. Our praise becomes heavenly. It is now spiritual. God is seeking those who will worship in Spirit and in truth. This is now coming into that reality. Only those willing to die to themselves, leaving the love of the earth behind can enter into the height of praise. Praise will enter into the heavenlies. We are, after all, seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
Now we see a change brought about in us. It is a new song. There is something beyond singing songs. There is something beyond praise that comes from our minds, as a decision to praise. There is a praise that comes because we are changed into the new spiritual person. Who will truly praise the Lord? Only a spiritual person. Who is a spiritual person? One who has been given a new song, a song to sing in the congregation of the godly ones, is a spiritual person. This is a corporate praise. This is a greater praise than what an individual can offer. This is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is a song that, when a group sings, you can only hear one voice, not many. This is heavenly inspired praise.
This is the highest praise. We have left the confines of the earth, and we have seen that there is no limit to the Lord. He is bigger than the universe He created. This is not, by any stretch of imagination, an out-of-body experience. That is false. That is new-age. No. This is the experience of a mature, Spirit led, cleansed, sanctified, totally-focused, believer in the Lord Jesus. The flesh has been dealt with; the past is behind. Well, that may seem impossible, and with man, it is. But, with God, all things are possible, and the way to the depth of praise, is by faith. That is all. The way to the heights is by faith.
No matter where, or when, we can enter the depths of praise. Praise can reach the highest heaven from the depth of any despair. We can be in a car, in gathering, or in a Philippian jail. The place does not matter; it is the source that matters.
There is a progression of Praise hidden in plain sight in the last 6 Psalms. There is not enough space to detail all six Psalms, but let it suffice to just show the progression in the first verse of each of the Psalms from Psalm 145 to 150:
Psa 145:1 A Psalm of Praise, of David. I Will extol Thee, my God, O King; And I will bless Thy name forever and ever.
Praise begins in our minds, in a dedicated, willful, intelligent giving of praise to God, the King of the universe. We should make a decision to bless His name forever. But, the point is, that it begins with our mind. It is rooted in the self. We give ourselves to praise. The word here is “I”. “I” will extol Thee, “my” God. Begin to praise with your mind fully engaged. We are to praise.
Psa 146:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
Now praise goes deeper. It begins in the intellect, choosing to praise, and moves to the deeper part of us: our soul. That is our whole conscious being. We give all of ourselves to the praise of the Lord. It is at this point that we recognize, for the first time, that He is Lord. He is more than God; He is Lord. Our soul digs deeply into the truth that He is Lord, and deserves our praise.
Psa 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
Praise is now having an effect on us. It is taking us over. We are no longer just being strenuous praisers, we are seeing the depth and delight of praise. It is changing us. It is bringing us to a unity with the Lord. We move into true fellowship with Him, and we are changed. We are becoming a beautiful object through Him.
Psa 148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
As we move into fellowship with Him, we are brought closer to Him, and we see Him for Who He is, and especially, where He is. He is high and lifted up. He is exalted. And, we are brought up together with Him. Our praise has now changed from coming from our minds, through our souls and our very beings, to lifting us to the presence of the Lord of All. Our praise becomes heavenly. It is now spiritual. God is seeking those who will worship in Spirit and in truth. This is now coming into that reality. Only those willing to die to themselves, leaving the love of the earth behind can enter into the height of praise. Praise will enter into the heavenlies. We are, after all, seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
Psa 149:1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
Now we see a change brought about in us. It is a new song. There is something beyond singing songs. There is something beyond praise that comes from our minds, as a decision to praise. There is a praise that comes because we are changed into the new spiritual person. Who will truly praise the Lord? Only a spiritual person. Who is a spiritual person? One who has been given a new song, a song to sing in the congregation of the godly ones, is a spiritual person. This is a corporate praise. This is a greater praise than what an individual can offer. This is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is a song that, when a group sings, you can only hear one voice, not many. This is heavenly inspired praise.
Psa 150:1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
This is the highest praise. We have left the confines of the earth, and we have seen that there is no limit to the Lord. He is bigger than the universe He created. This is not, by any stretch of imagination, an out-of-body experience. That is false. That is new-age. No. This is the experience of a mature, Spirit led, cleansed, sanctified, totally-focused, believer in the Lord Jesus. The flesh has been dealt with; the past is behind. Well, that may seem impossible, and with man, it is. But, with God, all things are possible, and the way to the depth of praise, is by faith. That is all. The way to the heights is by faith.
No matter where, or when, we can enter the depths of praise. Praise can reach the highest heaven from the depth of any despair. We can be in a car, in gathering, or in a Philippian jail. The place does not matter; it is the source that matters.
posted by Jeff at 3:39 AM
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