“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favour you exalt our horn.”
(Psalm 89:14-18; NIV)
See with me, the wonders of our God:
• Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
• Love and faithfulness go before Him.
Now see, ‘Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you…’ – that is the one who has learned to praise and worship Him. The result: we rejoice in His name all day long, and celebrate His righteousness, and so receive glory and strength.
May I be so bold as to say that praise and worship of the Lord is a game changer for us? How can it be game changers for us? Each time someone saw who Jesus was, they ended up in praise and worship and their circumstances changed – either a mindset, or a commission – but something happened when they saw Jesus.
• Paul and the Damascus Road experience (Acts 9:2-19; NIV)
• Isaiah and seeing the Lord (Isaiah 6:1-8; NIV)
• Disciples on the road after Jesus’ death (Luke 24:32-34; NIV): “They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven, and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’” A mindset change had just taken place.
When we catch a revelation of who Jesus is, we cannot help but praise and worship immediately. Eugene Peterson says the following: “Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God.” Roger Carswell states: “When my heart is full of Christ, I want to sing, and when I feel empty and spiritually dry, I know I must sing.”
The old chorus “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His GLORY and GRACE…” (Helen H. Lemmel 1922) simply has so much truth:
● Dreadful day at the office? Turn your eyes on Jesus.
● Rough day with the children? Turn your eyes on Jesus.
● Tough presentation / exam? Turn your eyes on Jesus.
● Heart-breaking news? Turn your eyes on Jesus.
Whenever David faced opposition or difficulties, he “turned his eyes upon Jesus” Whenever he did this, his difficulties would look smaller in the face of God’s awesomeness, and he would end up in praise and worship.
• Ps 96 (the whole Psalm - go and read it)
• Ps 40:1-3 (NIV):
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.”
One commentator puts it: “Out of the mire and into the choir.”
I am sure you can think of more statements, but in essence, whatever the situation, whatever the state of your mind, turn your eyes on Jesus - and you can soon “join the choir.”
A comment from Nicky Gumbel reads: “Your happiness does not depend on what is happening to you.” There is deep joy that comes from God’s presence (Acts 1:51-52: “But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit”).
Remember, we can also praise and worship in the good experiences.
Psalm 118:15 (NIV):
“Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
What more is there to say? See this beautiful passage from 1 Chron 29:11-13 (NIV):
“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendour,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honour come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.”
May you learn to praise and worship God in every moment, every circumstance, and so learn “to rejoice in the name of the Lord all day long.”
Blessings
Nadine
Welcome our guest contributor Nadine Judge.
Lead Elder’s wife, Human Capital Specialist and Executive Facilitator
Nadine Judge is married to Francis Judge and together they lead Venture Church in Fairlands, Johannesburg. They have 3 children, 2 of whom are married and one more who is currently in college. Nadine and Francis also have one granddaughter who blesses them both abundantly.
Nadine was an HR Manager from 2006 and was responsible for more than 900 people in WesBank.
Nadine was invited to join Ovations Consulting in 2008, where she oversaw a significant two-year change management operation within Mutual and Federal.
She subsequently went into her own private practice and oversaw leadership development within Watson Pharmaceuticals (USA) and a Transformation Programme for the Saint Gobain Group. A change management project for the Department of Education in Mpumalanga led to managing a coaching process within the Smollan Group and working at Sasfin Bank (through a 3rd party - LRMG), running MDP programmes for Middle to Senior Management in Gauteng and Cape Town. This included facilitation, coaching and writing reports over 2 years.
During 2015 / 2016 Nadine also attended Business Coaching training through IDM School of Coaching and was trained by Myles Downey – a top international business coach.
Nadine is proficient in English and Afrikaans, and has vast experience operating in multi-cultural contexts. She has developed leaders in South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Iceland. When she isn't inspiring leaders and assisting Francis in leading a church, Nadine is often found where coffee, books and internet converge.