Praise Him!

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God. It is He ...that hath 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 unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good. His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to ALL generations. -- Psa 100

There is much trouble in the world. Daily we face the reality of the evil amongst us. Our leaders have abandoned us. They serve themselves, and care not for our well-being. They see themselves as above the very laws they demand we obey. They have squandered our wealth and shredded our law. They have taken what we have built, what we have earned, and given it to our enemies. The veteran does not receive what he fought for. The elderly and truly needy do not receive what was held back for them. No, it is given to those who hate and desire to destroy us, because our "leaders" care for them while they disregard us -- the people they have taken an oath to serve, the people who granted their power, the people who have paid their way. There is no honor among such as these, and the horror they prepare for us is appalling.

If we focus on these giants, it is easy to forget there is a Great God in Heaven, a God who will hear our cry if we turn back to Him.

If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. -- 2 Chr 7:14

When a nation turns from the Holy God of Heaven, He gives them sorry leaders. When a people turn from holiness to sin, they are given over to the fruits of that sin. We cannot expect roses when we have planted turnips. It just does not work that way.

As a nation we allowed the Holy God of Heaven to be replaced with many false gods, the largest of these being wealth. Even now pastors seek to promote themselves, attempting to draw large crowds from which they might gain great revenue. They avoid issues that divide or cover them peripherally. And pastors are not alone.

People devote themselves to the acquisition of wealth. It is what we spend our time on. It is what concerns us the most. So much so that many kill their children in order to pursue their careers first. We are literally shedding innocent blood in order to attain the standard of living we believe God wants us to have. We use His love to justify our sin.

Now these are the three primary things that have brought the horror that we now face to our land:

abortion (the shedding of innocent blood),

idolatry (the love of wealth), and

a disrespect of the cross (using His sacrifice as an excuse for sin).

The truly sad thing is that many still see them as "non-issues". They see them so because many of our spiritual leaders have taught them so. So, the treachery of our spiritual leaders has brought us our treacherous political leaders. Yet, many still cling to their teachings.

How do we get out of this? There is only one cure: Full Repentance. It is the only way. We should be thankful that "His mercy is everlasting" and that He does "hear from heaven". We should remember:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. -- 2 Pe 3:9

And that:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments. His praise endureth forever. -- Psa 111:10

We need to fear Him enough to repent and return to obeying His will, because the horror we face is judgment from Him. Our willingness to commit sin upon sin, our lack of regard for His sacrifice, and the rampant shedding of innocent blood has bought us vile leaders and murderous enemy hoards. We planted evil, and evil has come up in our garden.

So, what do repentance and wise fear have to do with praise? If we fear Him enough to truly repent, then we should also realize that He deserves to be praised. So Great a King always deserves praise. Even now, we should be raising our voices in praise of Him. Even now, we should be entering His gates with thanksgiving.

We are reaping what we have sown. Should we blame Him that we did not have the sense to plant holiness? From Genesis through Revelation His word warns us not to stray from the path of righteousness. How is He to blame? No, this one's one us. We did this. We threw Him out and welcomed evil. Evil cannot begat anything but more evil. Holiness comes from God.

Worship Him this morning. Praise Him with all that you are. Weep and plead for mercy. Seek Him with all your heart. If we get serious with our commitment to Him, He will hear our cries. The "giants" will have no power over us if we are truly His. Now that is something to praise Him for, to be able to stand in the midst of a storm like this. So praise, praise the Lord!