Praise God, Publicly And Privately
BRD REFLECTIONS
1 Corinthians 4 and Psalm 66 (NIV)
(Liu Yueh Mei, Chairperson, Information Systems)
READ:
1 Corinthians 4 and Psalm 66 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
1) Public Display of Affection to God – through Praises.
Praise God – Shout for joy to God (v1)
Sing His praises (v2)
Steps to praising God (v3)
a) thank God for His awesome creation (also v5)
b) praise God for His power (and miracles, v6)
c) give glory to His dominion over all the earth (also v7)
Remember acts of God in our lives:
– Preserved our lives, kept our foot from slipping (v9)
– Took us through tests that refined us like silver (v10)
– Took us through trials and tribulations (v11)
– Took us through humiliation and eventually into the land of abundance (v12)
2) Private Display of Affection to God
– through sacrifices (v15)
– through promises made to God (v13)
– through prayers (v19)
– through praising God for listening to our prayers and for loving us (v20)
APPLY:
This Psalm gives the perspective of how we praise God to others – a public display of affection to God. When we are in awe and amazement, when we remember the wonders and glory of God, we cannot help but want to tell others about God and proclaim His glory.
It also gives another perspective which is the private display of affection to God – how we praise God personally, between God and I, through vows we make to God, sacrifices and daily prayers.
DO:
Praise God as a congregation, as a church. I will declare His goodness, remember His works, tell it to others. I will Shout and Sing and be public about it.
I will praise God as an individual – between God and I. Make my vows to God, give my sacrifices and pray without ceasing.
PRAY:
Praise God! Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let all praise you, Lord! Thank you Lord that we can praise you publicly and freely. Thank you for all your creations and awesome wonders. Thank you for carrying us through tough times, even humiliating times and we trust and know that you will take us to the land of abundance and we will be triumphant over all adversaries. Teach us to praise you in good times and in tough times and always remember your goodness and trust you with our lives. All for your Kingdom’s fulfilment, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
