There is an old song chorus by The Imperials. The 1979 album was called, Heed the Call.
Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had a renewed sense of hope and spirit of mind… and heart. Yet over the past few days that sense of peace has been challenged, or threatened, by the voices of accusations that reverberate through the atmosphere of my brain. I am not even sure what the catalyst is that causes doubt or discontent.
It could be envy to some degree. It could be poor sleep and wrestling with decisions, or the rain keeping me from getting a few things accomplished. It could be my own attempt to improve in music production, but in comparing my recent work to that from years ago, I recognize little improvement. So, comparing myself to myself is not always encouraging!
Regardless, when we have been in the darkness for a time, it takes a minute for the eyes to adjust to the light. So it is after repentance, I think. If we have been away from the Word of God–The Bible, and have neglected prayer, allowed ourselves to compromise with a little sinfulness or worldliness, then we have developed habits that need that need to be broken.
I was reading this morning in chapter 15 in the book of Luke, the parable of the prodigal son. The son was lost but now found, and there was rejoicing at the man’s return to his father. There were two parables before that, and the prodigal son was a detailed illustration of the point, which is repentance, mercy, and joy.
So, what does this mean to us? First we must realize that when we come back to The Lord Jesus and to the throne of God our Father, there is rejoicing, not only in our own heart for God’s mercy and grace, but throughout heaven…for us…and the glory of God. This rejoicing is for the mercy of God because of the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and King.
We need to realize that because of our repentance someone else will be ministered to. Look at the process on the parables in chapter 15:
- Something was lost,
- there was a search,
- the thing was found,
- there was joy,
- people were called to join the celebration.
- In the prodigal son story the father ministered to the older son, giving him the message and wisdom of having mercy and grace.
Although it’s not mentioned, I can imagine from my own experience that the younger son had a lot of regret and sorrow that he had to deal with and overcome. So remember that restoration, dispelling and changing thought patterns, establishing new and better habits takes time. It will not happen over night.
So the point of all that is that in order to break those habits we have developed during our time of darkness and despair, we need to read with purpose and get the word of God into our minds. “Set your mind on the things above,” and praise God for His mercy again and again.
It’s especially challenging when the thoughts creep in, telling us we are useless or worthless and there is no way God could use us for anything. We tell ourselves this when we feel like we have failed in some way through the day. We hear it in the air, the inaudible voices of accusation from demons. We hear it from the devil’s minions on radio and video in a way that make us think we are somehow beneath the societal norm.
In other words, we are socially unacceptable. You know what? That is actually a good thing and an indication that God is with us, because the world rejects The Lord Christ Jesus, they reject God the Father of all, and because we are His they will reject us.
Rejoice in that! Because The Holy Spirit is at work in your heart and mind breaking those chains of habitual compromise. The result will be that we will begin to teach others about God’s mercy through Christ Jesus and the joy of freedom we have because of that grace.
Psa 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Psa 32:1-2 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”
Psa 33:1-5 “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. (2) Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. (3) Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. (4) For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. (5) He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.”