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“Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the congregation.”
PSALM 111:1
WHOLEHEARTED PRAISE
The writer of the old hymn got it right: "My heart is prone to wandering." If only that weren't so true...
Our hearts do wander... because our attentions are divided. Genuine praise---as Psalms 111 suggests---is wholehearted. A distracted mind and a divided heart are incapable of worshiping God as He deserves. But what can we do about our divided heart? We need wisdom to answer that question.
Thankfully, as the psalm goes on to say--"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (v. 10). Our fear of God--our awareness of His infinite love and mercy, His immeasurable grace and faithfulness, His unlimited power and goodness--brings humility. It reminds us that God deserves everything we have and not our careless, halfhearted praise. After all, God has adopted us as His children and given us the priceless gift of eternal salvation. How could we be stingy in our praise and worship of Him?
Furthermore, God's Spirit is seeking to give us a new, transformed heart... an undivided heart. Focusing on our glorious God will not only prompt sincere praise but enable wholehearted worship. Make time to enter His presence and silently in awe.
from Discovering God's Daily Agenda
by Henry & Richard Blackaby