ENTER The Rarefied Air Of PRAISE !

Enter The Rarefied Air Of Praise !
John R. Petrilli

While viewing a television special that featured the contributions and accomplishments of a particular female NASA teacher-astronaut, I was struck by the incredible astrophotography. What especially grabbed my attention was the breathtaking beauty of our planet in general and its atmosphere in particular. Earth’s atmosphere sits suspended seven hundred miles above our planetary surface, seemingly crowning the planet like a celestial halo. Its soft glow adorns our globe with a glory that defies description. A quiet sense of peacefulness seems to emanate from its heavenly aura.

During a recent devotional time I was reminded of the instrumental and beneficial role that praise plays in our walk with God. As I finished my Bible reading and entered a time of prayer, I realized that my spiritual tank had become somewhat depleted, and I was running on fumes. The Lord showed me that I needed to praise Him. As I did, I literally felt my spirit rejuvenate as I ascended into worship via praise. That’s the way it seems to be with praise. Like the wings of an airplane, it elevates our entire being into an upper atmosphere of spiritual peace, calm, strength, and stability. I decided to look into the nature of praise. Here’s what I found to be true, not only in my worship experience, but most importantly in Scripture.

PRAISE IS OUR PERSONAL PASSPORT INTO GOD’S PRESENCE. Psalms 100:4

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and come into His courts with PRAISE!”

To get into our homes and vehicles we need the right key. To gain access to our bank accounts we need the correct pin number or some form of official identification. To have any chance of gaining access to the White House, we must pass through some very discriminating channels. According to the inspired Word of the psalmist, the key that opens the door to God’s presence is praise. When our Christian life seems dry and lacking vitality it may well be due to the fact that we’ve not lingered frequently enough or long enough in God’s presence. While most, if any of us, will ever enjoy the kind of transporting experience of a Paul or a John (2 Cor. 12 ; Rev. 1:10-11:; 4:1), we can expect to revel in the invigorating, enlivening presence of God when we worship and praise Him in the Spirit and in the truth (John 4:23-24). It is praise that ushers us into the blessed courts of God.

PRAISE REFRESHES US AND GIVES OUR HEARTS A MUCH NEEDED SPIRITUAL LIFT. Psalms 149:1-5

“Sing PRAISE to the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, His PRAISE in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel REJOICE in their Maker … let them PRAISE His name with dancing … Let the saints REJOICE in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.”

Wherever you find praise in the Bible, close by you’ll find joy and rejoicing. This Psalm is no exception. Once we get spiritually on point with our focus truly centered on Jesus Christ, our hearts unfold to His mercy and grace, much like a flower drinks in the refreshing rains from the skies above. Having drunk from the Fountain of living water, we can’t help but shout for joy! When we are occupied with praising God for the Wonderful Person He is, our minds are filled with high thoughts, and our hearts are overwhelmed with humble adoration. When we praise God, we’re actually performing that for which we’ve been designed for all time and eternity. Instead of playing harps, our heavenly preoccupation will be that of showering the Triune God with an eternity of praises (Rev. 5:8-14 ; 7:9-17 ; 19:4-8). Best of all, we don’t have to wait until then to reap the benefits of praise. We’ve been wired for praise, and can engage in this uplifting activity of the soul right here and now (Rev. 4:9-11).

PRAISE HELPS US REGAIN A HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE. Psalms 73:16-17

“When I tried to understand all this (the unfair prosperity of the wicked), it was oppressive to me until I went into the SANCTUARY of God; THEN I UNDERSTOOD their final destiny.”

It was a very depressing day in the life of one by the name of Asaph. As he looked around he saw nothing but wickedness prospering and righteousness seemingly going unrewarded. He was really down in the mouth, with trouble and trials filling his godly life. He was at the point where he actually began to question whether it was really worth it to serve the Lord. Then he stepped into God’s house of worship. Perhaps he opened up the Hebrew Psalter and read the Scripture verses exhorting him to praise the Lord. Or maybe he flashed back to the day he responded to the prompting of God to give his heart to his Maker. Whatever the case, Asaph experienced something that caused him to do a complete spiritual about face. Being in God’s presence sobered his vision, and he realized that the temporal prosperity of wicked people is so short lived, while the righteous are promised an eternal reward. His understanding changed, which led to a change in perspective, which in turn led to a new attitude of rekindled hope and renewed faith.

PRAISE OPENS OUR HEARTS TO ENJOY THE PERSONAL PRESENCE OF THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT. Psalms 22:3 ; Ephesians 2:19-22 ; Ephesians 5:18b-19

“But You [God] are holy, Who inhabit the PRAISES of Israel.” “Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual SONGS. SING and make MUSIC in your heart TO the LORD.”

D.L. Moody was a great preacher, but one of the secrets of his success lay in his practice of having Ira D. Sankey lead the gatherings with a prolonged session of gospel songs before he rose to speak. Moody explained that it was his experience that singing songs of praise opened the hearts of the audience to the Word and Spirit of God like nothing else could. Praise has just such a mystical quality about it. When we lift our hearts in praise to God, we enter into a different spiritual zone, one where our personal and corporate communion with the Lord is enhanced and elevated. Paul describes the local body as a spiritual temple of people who enjoy the presence of God inhabiting them as they gather to worship and praise Him. The apostle also advises us to allow the Spirit’s filling to be expressed in our songs of praise to God, making a direct and unmistakable connection between the filling of the Spirit and the singing of praise to God.

PRAISE UNLEASHES THE POWER OF GOD AND FREES US FROM THE THINGS THAT BIND US. Acts 16:25-26

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang PRAISES to God; and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: And immediately doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed” (KJV).

If you’re a pastor then you know how your people are doing on a given Sunday by looking at their faces. Some are at peace; others are preoccupied still others appear tense strained from a demanding work week. Anxieties, fears, worries and the daily grind of life takes its toll on all of us. Some find themselves trapped in a financial bind; others are caught in an emotional shackle, still others bound by a mighty spiritual struggle of some sort. To where or to Whom should we go when we find ourselves “bound up” in our spirit? Paul and Silas weren’t exactly living on easy street here in Acts 16. They had just endured a vicious lashing, and were tossed into the inner chambers of a rat-infested prison. So what do they do? They start singing praises to God! The result? God answers mightily by crashing down a high security facility, even causing all the shackles of the prisoners to become undone. Evil men wanted Paul and Silas shut up and shut away, but God had work for them to do, so He arranged for their “early release”. Brother or sister in Christ, no matter what it is that may be binding you today, Praise is your way to spiritual release!

PRAISE EMBOLDENS OUR PUBLIC WITNESS FOR JESUS CHRIST.
1 Peter 2:9

"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the PRAISES of Him Who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light.”

In the United States of America we have Thomas Jefferson to thank for the unique contents and provisions of the Declaration of Independence. That document secures liberties and freedoms for us that are unequalled in world history. The apostle Peter says that Christians are to have a “Declaration” as well. We who follow Christ are to be about the business of declaring His greatness to those around us. As we praise the Lord corporately and in our daily contacts with others, we are carrying out this most holy and solemn duty as royal, blood-bought priests of God. When someone does us a huge favor, we sing their praises. As soon as we discover a helpful new product on the market, we sing its praises to our family and friends. If we do this with earthly temporary things, how much more should we sing forth the praises of the One Who has rescued us from an eternity of darkness and doom? As believer-priests, Christians have the awesome privilege of bearing vocal, visible witness to the Lord Jesus Christ as His or her Savior and Lord. I can’t think of anything that could ever come close to Him so being worthy of our praises! Can you? Brethren let’s just PRAISE the Lord!