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Tag: Praise without ceasing

Playing hide and seek with God

Someone said, “Life is like a game of hide and seek; we are either hiding from God or seeking him.” When we falter and sin, we try to hide our shame, on account of our sins, from God, as did Adam, and fool ourselves into thinking that we can hide from the only One who is not only omnipresent (Psalm 139:8) but also omnipotent (Job 42:2; Luke 1:37) and omniscient (Acts 15:18). There are no hidden (secret) sins with God for every account of our life is laid nakedly bare in front of him (Psalm 90:8). And when we are in dire straits we often seek him, although we must be seeking him first (Matthew 6:33) and at all times and not just at the time of need. Psalm 119:164 records that we must praise him seven times a day implying that we must praise him without ceasing at dawn, morning, brunch, lunch, twilight, evening, night (all day long). The Bible promises that if we seek him we will find him (Matthew 7:7) and let us seek him when he may still be found (Isaiah 55:6-7), now in the time of Grace.

Points to ponder:
Are you/I hiding from God? If you/I are hiding, let us believe in the Lord Jesus and repent of our sins so that he may clean us and clothe us with robes of his righteousness. Are you/I seeking him (all the time)? Remember, one thing is sure, irrespective of whether we seek him or not, he is expectantly yearning for us and seeking us, as did the Father of the prodigal son. Let life not be a game of hide and seek, but a practice of seeking and finding God constantly, for when we seek his face and humble and pray, and turn from our wicked ways (repent), he will hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Note, seeking and repentance bring forgiveness and healing; hiding does not.

Psalm 90:8 (KJV)
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 

Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV)
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Praise without ceasing!

Well, the Bible commands us to “PRAY” without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but have you had anyone ask you to “PRAISE” without ceasing? Jonah prayed and the Lord heard him (Jonah 2:1-2) but after he offered his praises with a voice of thanksgiving, declaring that Salvation is of the LORD, the Lord spoke to the fish that had swallowed him, to release him from his bondage (Jonah 2:9-10). Many times we pray for our needs but seldom do we praise with thanksgiving, before or after its fulfillment. Jesus offered his thanksgiving before He performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand. We are to follow suit as well.

The Psalmist records that seven times a day, he praised God because of God’s righteous judgments (Psalm 119:164). Seven times a day would entail the following: dawn, morning, brunch, lunch, twilight, evening and night. This in other words means “ALL DAY LONG“. Just as we are to pray without ceasing, we are to be praising as well, without ceasing, ALL day long. Let’s not just stop with praying, but let it be accompanied by our praises, for God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). In other words, when we praise, God’s presence is with us and He will command that which is enslaving and drowning us, to set us free. Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6); Praise without ceasing!

Psalm 119:164 (KJV)
164
Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV)
15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

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