Praising God
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things (Psalm 98:1a).
Read Psalm 98
My wife and I spent over two years searching for a retirement village to move into once we admitted that our home of over 30 years was no longer meeting our needs. It feels like a miracle of timing and circumstances that led us to where we now live. The village facilities, the staff and other residents provide a wonderful environment to live in.
Yet, when a group of us residents get together, it is surprising how quickly we find ourselves complaining about things that are not perfect. Often, one of us has to speak up and remind us how we are all generally very happy with living here and wouldn’t want to live elsewhere.
This is why the message of this psalm is so important. It invites us to look up from preoccupation with the issues facing us and instead see God at work – in our own lives and those around us. It might mean stopping talking about what irritates us and instead listening to what others around us are experiencing. It might mean asking God to help us to see what he is doing more clearly.
Never should we think that God needs our praises; instead, God has given us this gift of praising him as a way to keep us focused and balanced as we face challenges in life. As we see God at work loving, encouraging and healing people, and we acknowledge that our God’s love is the prime mover behind these activities, our focus changes from ourselves to being part of the family team God is using to love, encourage and heal others.
One other thing the psalm brings out is how infectious praise is. It affects those around us and even possibly nature itself. As people see the joy permeating our being, they will want to know the source of this joy, too, and this gives us the opportunity to share the source of it with others – in a very natural way.
Awesome God, we praise you for all the wonderful things you are doing in our lives, in the lives of our family members and friends, and, of course, in the lives of the billions of people we know nothing about. As we become aware of all you are doing, help us too to burst into praise to you. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together they have four children and eight grandchildren with whom they love spending time. He keeps himself busy with pot plants, a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering in the community and at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
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