DO PEOPLE KNOW HOW GREAT YOUR GOD IS?

CAN YOUR FRIENDS SEE HOW GRATEFUL YOU ARE TO GOD?

PSALM 47

Psalm 47:1-4,

1 Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth.

3 He subdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet.

4 He chose our heritage for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 

The psalmist’s invitation is clear to the children of Israel and all of us: we must come to praise and worship our God! He is the Lord, the Most High. No one deserves praise as our God does. We should say that no one deserves praise at all, compared to our God.

Our God is the king all over the earth. All was created at His command, and all is sustained at His word. Every person, every nation, every ruler is under His meticulous sovereignty. His purposes are eternal and righteous. How do we dare question them and arrogantly think that things should be different, believing that what we think is better?

Those men and women who do not praise are, in fact, asserting by their disdain that God is not wise, that what is happening does not have a good purpose, or that God really is not in control, and that the world is running free without restraint.

Psalm 47:5-7

5 God has gone up with a shout,

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm! 

The psalmist continues his urgent commands to praise God, reminding us that He is our King! Not only does God deserve our praise, but since He is indeed our King, He can and does demand our praise.

It is not a surprise that the world does not praise God. They don’t recognize Him as their Master. They have rebelled, and have set up themselves and their own thinking as the authorities of their lives. It is important to remember that all those who do not believe exclusively and completely in the God of the Bible are worshiping another god. The god of the Mormons, of the Muslims, and of every other religion on the earth are inventions of man. We are not calling the same God by different names; we are not worshiping the same God at all. There is only one true God and it’s the One who has revealed Himself through Scripture. He is a jealous God, who will not share His glory with man or any invented deity.

Why do we not praise our God as we should? We have certainly allowed other things to distract our attention. Seeds of distrust and displeasure have crept into our hearts, and they tempt us to rebel against our God.

But our attitudes or thoughts do not change the eternal truth that God is reigning; He is in total control.

Psalm 47:8-9

8 God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

9 The princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted! 

The hosts of heaven worship Him continuously. They see His perfection and holiness, they marvel at His sovereignty and are in awe of His tender care of His chosen ones. They are aware of His grace and love. And they rejoice when another soul comes to understand the grace of God and bows before Him with faith.

I trust that you and I are not going through a season of rebellion, but that our failure to praise is only the result of being distracted. We should stop now and rehearse the many reasons we have to be grateful: His care for us is meticulous and particular. In other words, His protection and attention to our lives is so careful that nothing escapes Him, and His work in us and around us is perfectly controlled for our benefit. God’s care for the world does not leave us with second best, for He is working perfectly in every life, at all times and at the same time. That thought, alone, should leave us stunned and amazed!

At times, we praise God because our situation is not as bad as it could be. We look around and see people who are worse off than we are, thinking that only that fact should encourage us to worship God. I would like to invite you to embrace the fact that your praise for God should be the result of understanding and believing that your plight is what God intends and desires for you, and that ultimately it is the best for you.

Our God is reigning today with limitless power. His work is meticulous, driven by His perfections. He is holy, righteous, perfect, wise, loving… and so our praise should be continuous. Our gratitude should be overflowing.

What should you be praising God for right now? May those around you be attracted by your God, and may the Lord use your praise to bring glory to Himself!