God of Our Praise

God of Our Praise

 

“Our Father, who art in heaven….” Matthew 6:9. Reciting the Lord’s Prayer at a wedding ceremony years ago, I was struck by the pronoun “our”. I had said this prayer hundreds of times, but that time was somehow different.

I began thinking how very intimately personal Jesus had instructed us to be with God. Jesus told his disciples to pray in this way.

“Our Father, who art in heaven…” When something is ours, it denotes possession, relationship, ownership. To think that the eternal God is our Father is still a staggering truth. We have been purchased through the perfect blood of His son, Jesus. The death sentence hanging over our heads, which we rightly deserve, has been lifted. We are adopted as sons and daughters and even “heirs apparent.”

Then I began to understand that our praise was especially sweet to our Father. Why? Because our praise rises to His heart by those who were once condemned. Our praise reflects our abject hopelessness apart form the great gift of His child to save us. No one else can praise Him like we who have been redeemed. I went to my desk and this poured out of my heart:

“Angels have never had the dirt removed from their coffin. They’ve never seen the blinding light of Truth shine in that dark place of death. They’ve never experienced life flow into a spiritual corpse. They cannot join the song of the redeemed – worthy of death, but receiving grace instead. They have never experienced the weight of failure and sin and rebellion be gently lifted from their shoulders. O God of our praise.

Angels have no scars – they’re not patched or broken. They’ve never been pulverized into powder only to have all the pieces put perfectly together again. O God of our praise.

The heavenlies have never experienced a miracle! A broken home – distrust, pain, misery, infidelity and angry words – divorce is imminent. Then, the MIRACLE of Jesus – salvation, forgiveness and restoration. Love rediscovered – learning to trust again – a home and a future. O God of our praise.

Cherabims have no human hands through which God has designed His healing may flow to His children. Hands through which God flows. O God of our praise.

Angels do not have Jesus Christ living within them. We alone house the Son of God. He has been given to our care. O God of our praise.

Seraphims have never known the crushing pain of the death of one so loved and been lifted and carried in Christ’s warm, mighty arms. O God of our praise.

The face of angels have never felt the sensation of hot tears shed over a child who has left the shelter of God and gone away to that far country or the jubilant tears of rejoicing when that child walks the road home to the Father. O God of our praise.

God came to find us and rescue us. He cleansed us, accepted and loved us. We can look at His beautiful face and see our Father – the God of our praise.

~Vickie Richey
Christ Fellowship member