Ordained Praise

You have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. ~ Psalm 8:2

In his sermon last weekend, Pastor Jordan explained to us about praise. This scripture tells us that God, the Lord of all the heavens and the earth, has ordained praise. Pastor Jordan said that "ordained" means, "to set apart for specific use." Why would God need to ordain praise? And if He needed to ordain it, why not include it in the Ten Commandments? I believe He did. God's First Commandment was, "You shall have no other gods before me," (Exodus 20:2). The Lord knew that in a world with so many choices and free will, we might choose to worship other things, such as money, our bodies, our work, etc. Anything we worship or put first, is something we've set up as a "god" ahead of the Lord. By ordaining praise, the Lord called us to put Him first.

Once sin entered the world, we were no longer automatically connected or naturally centered around God. Instead, we became very selfish, and thought about ourselves first; what will satisfy my desires, what can I do for me? When we praise, we become last and must put others first. Praise is two-fold: it's the thanksgiving we give to God and it's the testimony we share with others about what God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. Praise is no longer automatic, which is why God knew He had to set it up as something specific for us to do.

God also knew that if He did not ordain praise, we would get so wrapped up in the lies and attacks of the enemy, that we would never move forward, let alone move His Kingdom forward. This verse tells us that praise was ordained to silence the foe and the avenger. Who are these creatures? The foe is the enemy before us, the one who keeps us from moving forward. The avenger is the enemy from the past, the one who tries to hold us back.

The Lord knew we needed a solution, a formula, to follow to defeat these enemies. That is why He gave us praise. The Lord knows it is harder for the devil to keep us trapped in his lies when we are sharing with others the goodness of God. The Lord also knows that it becomes easier to block out the lies the devil whispers to us when we are shouting praises to our King.

What is holding you back? What is stopping you from moving forward? Ask the Lord to give you an ear for His voice, that you will hear no other. When I first began daily time with God, a good friend gave me a "recipe" to follow. It has helped me to stick to it, even though it was very hard, at first. She said do the following every morning: 5 minutes of thanking God (praise), 5 minutes of reading God's Word, 5 minutes of listening for God's voice, and 5 minutes of writing in my journal (this would be any thoughts, words, or phrases I heard God say to me, or impress upon my heart). Let me tell you, the listening part has always been the hardest for me, but the most worthwhile. Can you give God the first 20 minutes of your morning? I hope that you will. And I pray that as you do, you will hear more and more of God's voice and His truths and less and less of the devil's lies. I pray, also, that God will make you His mighty warrior, as you go forward, thanking Him and sharing with others all He has done for you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.