Is God Your Idol?

Is God Your Idol

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”I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you,”

‭‭Psalm 145‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭8‬-‭10‬, NIV‬‬.

Often, I need to look up certain words that have become dull in my mind—words that are so overused that their meaning blends and changes situationally. “Exalt,” was my word this morning.

“To elevate by praise or estimation, to glorify.”

I began wondering, “When was the last time I just praised God for who He is, without adding my list of concerns, issues, or requests?”

I looked up verses that praised our LORD and began to read.

Making a morning all about God and not about me pulled me into His banquet hall, the room set-up for His children to feast from with His living water, food for the spirit. Words of praise and worship lifted from the pages of God’s perfect Word and filled my heart. I couldn’t stop smiling and crying at the same time. He is so worthy!

Psalm 28:7 says, “…my heart leaps for joy and with my song I praise Him!”

When we worship God, our hearts are stirred first. Some of us lift our hands as a response to this stirring of gratitude and understanding of who God is, some of us bow our heads, and some of us sing louder. Regardless of our physical response to the touch we experience, we have just worshiped God.

Worshiping God is not just reciting words set to music. It’s taking a truth about God and His character and being sincerely moved by who He is.

It’s that desire that says, “I want nothing more than to know Him and serve Him.”

God needs to be our only “idol”—the object of our extreme devotion. He is the one we bow down to and surrender our lives to—just Jesus.

When we begin praising God, we begin to remember why we need to praise God! He loves us. Despite why, He just does.

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s,”

‭‭Psalm 103‬:‭1-‭5‬, NIV‬‬.

Is God the One you bow down to and would do anything for? Not because of what He has done, just because of who He is— “I Am."

Father,

There are times that I list why I praise You as I pray and forget just to praise You on Your merit alone.

You are worthy of our dedication.

You are worthy of our sacrifice.

You are faithful, kindhearted, willing to forgive.

You are Creator God. You, and You alone formed us, breathed life into us, and wait patiently for us to turn back and say, “Thank You.”

We are turning back now. We don’t need Your help to do this—for it is our will, our desire, and our joy to say, “Thank You.”

Thank You for Your love towards us—unfathomable!

Thank You for Your goodness towards us—so undeserved.

Thank You that You saved us—we fall speechless at the thought of You sending Your Son, for us—broken souls.

Thank You.

Amen.