** I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation wilI I praise thee….My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. ** Psalm 22: 22,25
Psalm 22 tells us that not only should we be telling those who do not know God all that He has done for us daily, but that we should also share this good news with others who believe as we do. When God does something ordinary or extraordinary in our lives we should let fellow believers know. It will encourage them and it will increase their faith and help them to be watching for the great things that God is doing for them as well.
Communal praise is also essential to the growth of all believers. Covid restrictions has really attempted to discourage God´s children from publicly praising His name. But there is so much power in community praise that we need to push back and openly sing and praise God as one voice. Even though many churches cannot yet meet together as before, we should find creative ways to gather in smaller groups and spend time singing and praising and giving thanks for all that God has done to sustain us during this very out of the ordinary year.
There is just something different about praising God as a group. I believe it has healing power for the heart, soul and spirit. In practical words, it frees us from accumulated tension, it softens our heart to those with whom we are in conflict, it helps us to have a spirit of forgiveness… it opens our minds to hear others opinions and to act with grace and mercy.
There is an almost tangible presence of the Holy Spirit of God when God´s people come together to praise and honor him in song and testimony. It lightens our burdens, calms our hearts, and diffuses external and internal conflicts.
As young believers, with a failing marriage, my husband and I spent many Sunday mornings arguing and being miserable. But once we joined in the singing with the church congregation, the tensions between us were released, tears were shed and forgiveness was offered and received. We would leave church holding hands and filled with hope that one day our marriage would be better. The darker forces would try to use our fights to make us throw in the towel on our marriage, but praise time and healthy teaching from the Bible overcame their efforts to defeat us.
Later, we learned that God inhabits the praises of his people, but before we knew the words and the doctrine, we experienced it in our own reality. As knowledgeable or as ignorant that we may be, God always does his part and guides his children to what is good and healthy for them.
Let´s all make a special effort to praise God with others this week, whether in song or in sharing testimonies of all that He has done to encourage our hearts and lives in these past months. Because God is always good and worthy of our praise.
Would you like to share a testimony with all of us here in the comments? We would love to hear it!!!