Praise God to better listen

Friday May 14, 2021

Praise God to better listen

Come, let us sing with joy to the Lord! Let us shout for joy towards the rock of our salvation. Let us present ourselves before him with prayers of gratitude. Let's applaud it with music. Come, let us bow down and humble ourselves, let us bow our knees before the Lord our Creator ! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock that his hand leads... Oh ! if you could listen to his voice today ! Don't harden your heart. Psalm 95.1 ; Psalm 95.2 ; Psalm 95.6–8

We see in this text a magnificent progression which brings us into the immediate proximity of the presence of God.

It begins with praise and joyous and resounding thanksgiving : "Come, let us sing with joy to the Lord! Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation".

God encourages us to freely express our praise, our "prayers of thanksgiving." Subsequently, it is said : "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us bow our knees before the Lord our creator !"

"This is the key to the success of our spiritual life - hearing the voice of God"

Praise and thanksgiving lead to worship. Worship is an attitude rather than an expression of voice. It is expressed in the fact of prostrating oneself, kneeling, submitting to God. When we put on this attitude of worship, then we become able to hear the voice of God. This is why the psalmist says : "Today if you could hear his voice !"

Alas, there are so many Christians who hardly know what it is to hear the voice of God. Yet this is the key to our successful spiritual life - hearing the voice of God. If we follow the path - of praise and thanksgiving - that leads us to an attitude where we can hear the voice of God, then we hold the key to extraordinary blessings.

A prayer for today

Lord, I want to hear your voice, and I understand that I must first submit to you, body, soul and spirit. Open my ears, Lord, to hear your instructions. I praise you, Lord, with all my heart you are wonderful and I love you !

Derek Prince

Source (The Thought of the Day)