Friday, August 10, 2012

Day 66:Psalm 66- What Does It Mean to Make Your Praise Glorious??

Dear Readers,
Psalm 66:1 tells us to “shout for joy to God…”, to “sing the glory of his name, and to “make his praise glorious”! Verses 2-20 are an example of how to do this. You may be reading this and saying to yourself, “what does it mean to sing the glory of his name and to make his praise glorious”

Webster’s Dictionary.com  writes that glory means “(1) very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown: to win glory on the field of battle, (2) something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride: a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.  (3) adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving: Give glory to God, (4) resplendent beauty or magnificence: the glory of autumn.  (5). a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity. Thus, when we sing the glory of His name, we are singing about all of the wonderful things that have been accomplished through God’s name. If I report about one or more of these things, that means I am giving glory to God’s name.  If I add an “ious” to the word glory, it means to full of or have the quality of. This means that I am going to make sure that my praise shimmers, that it is set apart and higher than any other praise, and that it magnifies God greatly. 
In short, this praise and glory is more magnificent than a classical musical concert, more splendid than a playoff game’s cheering crowd, and more superb than the beauty of a wedding or engagement ring. It’s over the top adoration that illuminates the resplendentness of God.

Psalm 66 -New International Version (NIV)

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
    Sing the glory of his name;
    make his praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power
    that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
    they sing praise to you,
    they sing the praises of your name.”[a]
Come and see what God has done,
    his awesome deeds for mankind!
He turned the sea into dry land,
    they passed through the waters on foot—
    come, let us rejoice in him.
He rules forever by his power,
    his eyes watch the nations—
    let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Praise our God, all peoples,
    let the sound of his praise be heard;
he has preserved our lives
    and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us;
    you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
    and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;
    we went through fire and water,
    but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
    and fulfill my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
    when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
    and an offering of rams;
    I will offer bulls and goats.
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
    let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
    his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
    and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
    who has not rejected my prayer
    or withheld his love from me!

Please take time to reflect about this Psalm. What is God speaking to you?  Feel free to email me @ illyguana@hotmail.com with any questions or concerns. You can also send me a message in FB to Illy Reich (Frontline-student Ministries)!

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