Protective Praise
Have you ever thought about praise being a protective agent? Psalm 103:1 (ESV) says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”
When we bless the Lord in our highs and lows, he provides a layer of protection. From what? Getting too high or getting too low. Deuteronomy 8:11-20 provides a warning against forgetting the Lord and all that He has done.
Psalm 103:2 (ESV) continues to say, “Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits.” When we praise, we remember. We are not forgetting. Forgetting what? The things that only God can do in our lives.
How is it that God can work all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)? Because He can. He can do more in 2 minutes than we can in 10 years.
What does the progression of that work look like? Psalm 103 continues to share 5 benefits. Here they are:
1-He forgives all our iniquity.
2-He heals all our diseases.
3-He redeems our life from the pit.
4-He crowns us with steadfast love and mercy.
5-He satisfies us with good things so that our youth can be renewed like the eagle’s.
Wouldn’t it be great to have our youth renewed like the eagle’s?
There is a story in the Old Testament of a king who is healed of a deadly disease. He saw the benefit of being healed. God crowned him with steadfast love and mercy. He had 15 years added to his life after it was pronounced that he would die.
This man was King Hezekiah. You can read an account of this miraculous healing in 2 Kings 20. We will come back to his story in a moment.
Back to God’s benefits, there is a progression shown in Ps. 103:1-5 sharing how God wants to bring us to a place of renewal, like the eagle’s. He first forgives all our iniquities. We have to start there.
We cannot continue living in ways contrary to the Word of God and expect to live in the fullness of the Kingdom of God. You don’t see that in the Old or the New Testament. Ephesians 5:5 provides a clear caution against living a lifestyle of immorality, impurity, or greed. When these iniquities have taken root, they will diminish the work God wants to do and can do in our lives.
What do we need then? Forgiveness. Paul said, “24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? V. 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25 ESV)
Before we look to have our youth renewed, we need to be sure our iniquity has been removed through repentance.
That is the first benefit from Psalm 103:1-5. In Christ Jesus, there is forgiveness of sin and He makes all things new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Praise be to God! We are made new in Christ Jesus.
Pause and praise God that He has brought you to a place of forgiveness in Christ. Like Hezekiah, our life has been redeemed. Not only for 15 years but our life has been redeemed for an eternity.
Let’s praise God for it!
Back to Hezekiah, he did not give praise to God when the envoys from Babylon showed up. He was healed and it was so miraculous these envoys came from Babylon to hear it. You can pick this up in Isaiah 39 if you want to read the whole account. 2 Chronicles 32:25 (NASB 1995) says that Hezekiah “gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.”
Hezekiah was healed of all his diseases as described in Psalm 103:3, but he did not give praise back to God for it. He caused a severe price to be paid for his decision to not praise.
See the envoys from Babylon came to hear about what God had done. This was a moment for Hezekiah to praise God to a group of people who perhaps had never heard of God.
God wants to do the miraculous in your life. When he does the miraculous, word may spread.
This is what happened with Hezekiah. The envoys from Babylon show up and Hezekiah opens up all of the treasuries. He shows them all of it. He doesn’t know them, but he shows them things that he might not otherwise show anyone.
Isaiah checks him on this and prophesies that this mistake would cause the captivity brought about by the Babylonians. Hezekiah not praising God (instead of showing off) caused future generations to live in slavery. (Isaiah 39)
How might praising God have been a protection for Hezekiah? Praising God would have honored God before all of these people that He did not know. Simultaneously, it would have kept him from focusing on all of the things he had.
When we praise God for what He has given us, it protects us. When we praise god for how He has blessed us, it preserves the blessing.
Hezekiah received an amazing gift–being healed and 15 years of life being given as an extension. But, he did not use that moment to praise God. He did not praise God for being healed and being given additional time.
You may have been given a second chance by God in some area of life. This may be an area of life that you thought was all but over. But, then God shows up. He doesn’t stop the clock but puts you into overtime.
How should you respond?
You should praise Him.
Even right now, tell yourself, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Thank Him and praise Him for the blessing. When you do, it keeps your eyes focused on Him. And He will inhabit your praise and protect you.
To God be all the glory.
Amen and amen.
