A World Without Music

 

By Andrea Merrell

Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

Psalm 150: 4-6 MSG

Can you imagine a world without music? Think of all your favorite movies and TV shows. How drab and different would they be without the musical backgrounds that make them come alive?

More importantly, think of a world void of melodies and harmonies that not only lift praise and worship to our Lord but bring us into His presence.

Music is healing. Singer Julie True says, “On a spiritual level, music bypasses our mind and goes straight to our heart, soul, and spirit. It touches places that nothing else can reach … worship opens the heavens and moves God’s heart.”

Music is also powerful. According to The Word for You Today:

Harvard researchers are reporting that music is a healing balm for stroke victims, Alzheimer’s disease, and the physical stress of premature birth. They have learned that music can improve surgical outcomes, help restore lost speech, reduce the side effects of cancer therapy, relieve pain, improve mood, and help battle depression.

The Bible talks about songs of deliverance. Just ask Paul and Silas. Bound in prison under the worst possible conditions, they sang praises to God. Because of their worship, they were loosed from their chains and set free, along with all the other prisoners.

Music is a gift from our heavenly Father and something we should be thankful for each and every day.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Vlado.

The Power of Praise

 

By Andrea Merrell

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4 NKJV

 

“I don’t feel like praising God,” the woman said. “Look what’s going on in my life. What do I have to be thankful for?”

The truth is that’s when we need to praise Him the most. The Bible says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15 NKJV).

What is sacrificial praise? According to The Word for You Today, it is “praise when you don’t feel like it. When you’re going through seasons of hardship. When humanly speaking, you can’t think of a single thing to praise God for. With God, the praise that costs is the praise that counts.”

David is our best example. Even when running and hiding from his enemies, he never lost his faith in God. And he never hesitated to pray and sing songs of praise to the One who could deliver him—no matter how bad the situation.

Praise is powerful. It touches the heart of God and opens doors that no man can open. It brings deliverance. It heals. It crushes fear. It drives away the darkness and the forces of evil. It lifts us out of the pit of despair and into the heavenly realm.

Let praise become as natural as breathing. Let it become your weapon of choice. Read through the Psalms often and let those words soak deep within. Then you can say along with David, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1 KJV).

Now that’s power!

Photo courtesy of priscilla-du-preez-zeqWKOn5PNM on Unsplash.

Win the Battle with Praise

By Andrea Merrell

 

This is what the Lord says to you:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.

For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV

“We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do.”

These were the words of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:12) when he faced three different armies that had combined to wipe out his land. He confessed his predicament and cried out to the Lord. Then he said, “Our eyes are on you.”

The Lord answered, “Do not be afraid.” He assured Jehoshaphat that the battle belonged to Him, not an earthly king. Then he gave some rather unorthodox instructions. He told the king to put the choir in front of the army. Can you imagine? God wanted them to praise their way into victory. And so they did.

Have you ever been in a situation where it seems all the powers of hell have combined to wipe you out? I know I have. In those times, the last thing our flesh wants to do is to start praising the Lord. We want to kick and scream, grumble and complain. But God doesn’t respond to tantrums. He responds to our faith and our heartfelt praise.

The next time you’re in a tough situation, remember that the battle belongs to God. Put your worship on. As Bob Gass says, “Begin to praise God, and the forces of heaven will come to your aid.”

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Chaiwat.)

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When we’re in a battle, God doesn’t respond to tantrums. He responds to our faith and our heartfelt praise. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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The Spiritual Act of Rest

By Andrea Merrell

 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary

and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:20 NLT

I don’t know about you, but I’m not very good at resting. Even when I try, my mind spins out a to-do list three miles long and reminds me there’s no time to take a break.

Somehow, we’ve been deceived into thinking rest is equivalent to lazy. Not so. Even Jesus took time to pull away from the demands of the crowd to rest and spend time with His Father.

What we fail to realize is that when we learn to rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7), God sees it as an act of worship. Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power (Isaiah 40:31 AMP). In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15).

In Jesus Calling, Sarah Young writes: “Rest in Me, my weary one, for this is a form of worship.”

In God’s kingdom, everything has a purpose—even rest. When we’re weary, He invites us to simply come to Him. In His presence, we will find rest for our soul.

As you go through this holiday season, take some time away from the busyness of your day, and spend it with the Lord. He invites you to rest.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

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When we’re weary, the Lord invites us to simply come to Him. In His presence, we will find rest for our soul. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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Heart Condition

By Andrea Merrell

God desires our praise, our worship, and intimate communion. But does He expect each of His children to respond exactly the same way?

If you look around at any church service or Christian concert, you’ll see people responding to God in a variety of ways. While some hands are raised high in worship and surrender, heads are bowed and eyes closed in silent respect and adoration. Some might dance with joyful abandon while others sit quietly, soaking in His presence.

At a ladies’ conference several years ago, my friend, Joyce, was seated next to a lady who seemed to take extreme interest in the way Joyce was responding to the service and continually tried to coach her. “Don’t close your hands, honey. That means your heart and mind are closed to the Lord. Open your hands and turn your palms upward so you can receive what God has for you.”

After the third time, Joyce turned to me with a sigh and a look of total exasperation on her face. She was distracted by the constant interruptions and getting little out of the speaker’s presentation. Not wanting to be rude or offend the lady by asking her to mind her own business, we quietly slipped out of the balcony like we were going to the restroom and found another seat.

What this well-meaning lady failed to realize is that we all receive from God according to our own personality, upbringing, and state of mind. We should never try to dictate to others how they should respond when in God’s presence.

It was a very uncomfortable situation at the time but if we could go back and have a do-over, I would very nicely say to the lady, “It’s the condition of the heart that matters, not the position of the hands. That’s what God sees.”

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net/imagerymajestic.)

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It’s the condition of the heart that matters, not our body language. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to Tweet.)

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