Young People's Group

PRAISING GOD AS HE DESERVES

by Pastor Mitch
December 11, 2005

Making A Joyful Shout To God

Spontaneity was one of the truths learned at the recent Youth Conference. It is important that we learn to be spontaneous in our response in praising the Lord.

“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 
Sing out the honour of His name;
Make His praise glorious. 
Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works! 
Through the greatness of Your power 
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 
All the earth shall worship You 
And sing praises to You; 
They shall sing praises to Your name.'”
Psalm 66:1-4

In the text of Psalm 66, the writer called upon all the earth to make a triumphant shout to the Lord with joy. We are to sing out the honour of His name and to make His praise truly glorious. An awesome and great God deserves nothing less than the very best. We must learn to spontaneously praise Him each week.

Recalling The Awesome Works Of The Lord

Beyond just having spontaneous joy, we must seek to have cultivated joy. Such joy has to be cultivated by taking time to reflect on the Lord’s goodness. The Psalmist took time to recall what the Lord had done for him.

“Come and see the works of God; 
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.” 
Psalm 66:5

There was a call to appreciate the works of the Lord. The works of God were designed to bring awe and wonder to His people. During the week, all of us were deeply challenged by the messages at the Youth Conference. We were challenged to find a great sense of joy in the Lord and to express it. Many hearts were renewed. These are the works of the Lord towards His people.

Determination To Give Offerings Of Thanksgiving

For the Psalmist, his response of joy was to give offerings to the Lord.

“I will go into Your house with burnt offerings”
Psalm 66:13

There was a practice of giving burnt offerings to the Lord from a heart of deep appreciation. This was a voluntary offering. It was meant to be an offering of thanksgiving. Young people, if we have seen how the Lord has blessed us at this Youth Conference, then let’s determine to give offerings of thanksgiving to Him. Let’s cultivate the habit of giving towards the Lord with joy.

Bearing Testimony Of What God Has Done For Us

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, 
And I will declare what He has done for my soul. 
I cried to Him with my mouth, 
And He was extolled with my tongue.”
Psalm 66:16-17

The Psalmist also spoke of how the Lord had heard His cries. The Lord had done much for his soul. He gave a public testimony of the mercies of God. Has the Lord renewed our soul at the recent Youth Conference? Has the Lord been good to us? Let’s seek to bear testimony of what He has done for our soul. May we cultivate a heart full of joy as we praise Him. Let’s extol the Lord with all our heart and soul.

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