”Seek first the Kingdom of God” Matthew 6:33
Seek: (verb) to go in search of, to look for, to try to discover. Seek is an action verb.
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.“ Psalm 32:8
My greatest consolations come in praising God. How can I not praise God? He has done some incredible things for me throughout my life. He has guided me along right paths, He has consoled me in bad times and stood beside me when I didn’t stand with Him, and He has protected me from my own stupidity. He has given me an incredible woman of faith to be my wife, 4 great children and 2 wonderful grandchildren. He has surrounded me with friends who have strong faith and passion for Jesus. He has healed my daughter and miraculously kept death at bay several times. Jesus Christ, the God of all the universe, came personally to my daughter and spoke to me. I am so blessed, how can I now praise God?
I love the image of 2 Samuel 6:14, “David danced before the Lord with all his might.” King David didn’t just lead the ark into the city, he didn’t just praise God. David danced with abandon, with all his might. Imagine the joy that King David felt at this moment. No doubt all the trumpets blaring, and the people cheering was exciting for David. But, I think he had so much more of which to be joyous and praise God for. He committed horrible sins in the sight of God but God forgave him – read Psalm 51 to see an expression of David’s joy.
Praise is one of the greatest weapons we have against the enemy in spiritual warfare. Satan can’t stand when a soul is full of joy for the Lord. Rejoicing and praising brings “the peace of God” upon the soul.
“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. Before I bring any need, no matter how urgent, I give praise and thanks to God for all He’s done, known and unknown. I thank God for loving me so much that His Son came to die for me. I thank God for all His blessings, even ones that don’t feel so blessed. I thank God for being God.
The soul which rests in praise of the Lord receives great blessings, joy and peace. Though times may be tough, and I know there will be bad times to come, I will praise God. So you will find me at a Praise Nation Festival of Praise with my hands in the air while I dance with abandon, at least within my soul if not exteriorly. You will see me at Mass with hand high as I give praise to God in the prayers. You will find me playing my guitar lifting my praise to the Lord God my Savior. You will find me on my knees at night as I bless my wife in praise of God Almighty who has blessed me with this woman.
So I say to the soul reading this reflection, rejoice and praise the Lord. Unleash this great weapon against fear, worry and even the gates of hell. Praise your God, for He is an awesome God.
”Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7