Three Reasons to Praise the Lord January 2, 2015. “Praise the Lord…” (Psalm 147:1a NIV) In today’s verse, the Psalmist encourages us to praise the Lord, and in the following two verses he gives us three reasons for doing so. The first reason is that the Lord builds up Jerusalem, the city of God that was turned into ruins by the Babylonians when God sent judgment because of the sins of his people. Likewise, in our own lives, God can take the messes in our lives, even those that we may have brought upon ourselves, and he can turn that devastation into a blessing. The Psalmist also exhorts us to praise the Lord because he brings back the exiles. How many of us have wandered far away — perhaps not geographically, but in our hearts — and the Lord has restored us and brought us back? Or perhaps he has brought a loved one back. Scripture exhorts us in view of this to lift up the name of the Lord! Finally, we read in the same Psalm the third reason we should praise God: because he binds up the broken-hearted. We can have a broken heart because of something we have done, or because of something someone else may have done — perhaps someone very close to us. Instead of living in bitterness, the Psalmist encourages us to praise God. And what is praise, but bragging on God! Why? Because he is able to heal broken hearts, bring back those who are far off, and put back together shattered lives that would otherwise have no hope. Whether this applies to us or to someone we love at this time, let’s begin these first days of a new year by worshiping, extolling, honoring, and giving praise to our God! Read Psalm 147:1-9. – Pastor Jim Cymbala
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 13:50:09 +0000