Today we're making a shift to a new resource by an author I have used previously. Walter Brueggemann brings new meaning and understanding to the psalm and other acts of worship and devotion in Israel's Praise - doxology against idolatry and ideology.
Praise is the duty and delight, the ultimate vocation of the human community; indeed, of all creation. Yes, all of life is aimed toward God and finally exists for the sake of God. Praise articulates and embodies our capacity to yield, submit, and abandon ourselves in trust and gratitude to the One whose we are. Praise is not only a human requirement and a human need, it is also a human delight. We have a resilient hunger to move beyond self, to return our energy and worth to the One from whom it has been granted. In our return to that One, we find our deepest joy. That is what it means to "glorify God and enjoy God forever."
On some level, this is a new journey for me. I am not familiar with talking about praise. I know it is the foundation of our worship - we gather to praise God. And yet, as I read (again and again) that we find in praise "our deepest joy," it is as though I must be missing something because my notion of praise has not been elevated to the level of being my "deepest joy." Even as I make that last statement, I am also aware of the fact that at times I associate joy with happiness. It could be that I don't tend to associate praise with being happy. Most of the time, for me, joy is the experience of all of life coming together - making sense - having worth - being challenging - filled with meaning. When that is the case, praise is an encounter with joy that is given a context and a direction. The meaning and purpose and worth of life comes from the One who calls me beloved no matter what the situation at hand might be saying about me. Therefore, this deep joy is like a fountain that provides a connection to a truth declared to me and to all of us by the One who brings all things into being - the Creator. Praise might be the moments when I come to this realization...and from that point...everything becomes a response to a gift and action by God. Praise therefore comes in worship...but it also comes to be a part of our everyday lives. When we are given a gift praise and thanks seem to be a quite natural and much needed response.
Connection: What part of your day would you consider as a time of praise to God? We need not look to far. Life...carries with it the gifts we are handed each day. We may need only acknowledge them and the praise will come.
You, O God, know our need and you understand what it is that brings us delight. When you call us your children, there is no other word that can rule us. Be with us as we praise you and as we more fully walk into the life you hand us forever. Amen.
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