Thankful, Day Sixty-Five

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord, He is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

We've come through all the actions prescribed in this Psalm for the giving of thanks: SHOUT (as in make a joyful). SERVE (with gladness). COME (with singing). KNOW. ENTER (with thanksgiving and praise). BE THANKFUL. And now for the last one: BLESS HIS NAME!

I did a quick word study, and discovered that the word bless as used in this passage actually means to kneel and salute, and can include either blessing or cursing, and is mostly translated as bless, but a couple of times it means blaspheme. I don't think the Psalmist meant this in a negative way, so I'm gonna go with the 302 times as opposed to the 2 times and say we are supposed to kneel before our Lord in salute and praise Him.

But how often do we kneel in the presence of the Lord for praise? Do we ever fall to our knees during the first chords of a worship set and bow our face to the floor in worship? Do we ever spontaneously sink down between the pews (or chairs) with our hands lifted high in adoration and praise?

When I was growing up, most of our churches still had altars in them. If you don't know what an altar is, it's also been called the penitent forum and the mourner's bench. Traditionally, it was a low bench situated between the seats and the stage in a church where people were invited to come and pray. Sinners were compelled to come to the altar and give their lives to Jesus. Seekers were encouraged to come to the altar to receive more from the Lord. The saved, sanctified and spirit-filled Saints came on their on, to altar their lives even more. Everyone cried there. The old wooden altars were stained with people's tears. It was a place of groaning and affliction, and when the release came, it became a place of praise.

I've noticed we don't do that much anymore. I've been in lots of churches that don't even have altars, and I'm not trying to make a doctrinal statement out of a bench across the front. Our heart can be our altar. But along with removing the altar, many churches have abandoned the practice of penitence, of kneeling in the presence of God and offering the sacrifice of our praise. I, on the other hand, love to kneel before the Lord. I do it at my bedside, I do it in my closet, I do it in my office, I do it at my piano bench, I do it in my living room, I do it at whatever chair is available to me at the moment I want to kneel. And I love the act. It is absolutely overwhelming to humble myself before the Lord, and in that position let Him do some much needed work. In fact, I think I'll find a place to pray...just as soon as this blog is done.

And don't get me wrong...I'm not bragging about my own holiness and righteousness. I'm not putting myself on display. But I am holding my own life and practice up as an example. If you don't believe me when I tell you how good it is, do as I do and try it out for yourself. Kneel before God and praise His Holy Name, and see what starts to happen!

Thank you God for your goodness. You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing, every good and perfect gift. You have filled my mouth with good things, you have satisfied my soul, and supplied for my every need. You have granted me favor and grace, and I am truly thankful for all that you have done for me, all that you're doing in me, and all that you have promised to do!

Thank you God for your mercy. You have forgiven me all of my sins, cleansed me from all unrighteousness, covered and passed over all of my transgressions. Your grace is sufficient, your compassions never fail, your love covers a multitude of sin, and your mercy is new every morning!

Thank you God for your truth. Your Word is faithful and true. It is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and I will hide its word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. All of your promises are yes and amen to me. Everything you have promised, You will also perform. All that you've started, you'll be faithful to complete. For You are not a man, that You should lie. Grass withers, and flowers fade. But Your Word, O God, remains forever!

I bless Your Name, and worship You today!