To Praise God – A Way Of Life (Part 2)
A fool says in his heart, “There is no God!”
The word of God tells us that no one can claim that they never had the opportunity to know who God is, for in Psalm 19 : 1 – 4, it says,
“The heavens declare the glory of God, the vault of heaven proclaims His handiwork; day discourses it to day, night to night hands on the knowledge. No utterance at all, no speech, no sound that anyone can hear; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.”
The Word of God also tells us in Psalm 14: 1 and Psalm 53: 1, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God!”
Who God is and the marvellous things He has done is all around us. Even the blind can ‘see’ and appreciate these things and give glory to God. The evidence is there for all of creation to see and experience. It is in the sound of nature all around; in the sound of the roar of the waves crashing against the shore. The presence of God in is in the rivers and streams that flow from the mountains and hills, but no one seems to know exactly where they come from. It is in the cry of a new born baby, in the miracle of his/her birth. It is in the beauty of the rain that falls upon the earth and in the rainbow that spans the sky in a kaleidoscope of colour. The beauty of God is in the fields where the wild flowers grow and are arranged so meticulously as if painted by a master painter – well actually it is; by God Himself! It is in the awesomeness of the rays of the sun that pierce through the clouds.
The evidence that God is not just real but He loves us, is in the way that was made for us out of no-way; in the highway that was made for us in the desert. The evidence of God’s glory is in the sun that comes out of the pavilion faithfully every day, and in the moon and stars that come out each night. The immense wisdom of God is in sun that is suspended at a distance enough to warn the earth with its rays and not consume it with fire; and the moon and stars to remain suspended in place and not come crashing to the earth. The love of God is in the act of kindness that was extended to you – the very act of kindness that you felt was rightfully due to you. You see, God has made absolutely sure that His presence can be seen everywhere. For indeed, “Yahweh, our Lord, how great your name throughout the earth!
The earth should therefore be filled with His praise for the glory of God is all around us; but sadly, it is not. Why is this? Everyday God paints a glorious sunrise for us His children, then He send the sun to shine down on us all, to light our way. He provides all that we need. Then as the day wears on and evening approaches, in His magnificence, He paints an absolutely breath-taking sunset. Then again, as night falls, He sends out the moon and carefully arranges each star in its place. God, the author of life, gives us life, and each day we live is not meant to be lived in vain. Rather, each day God show His Love and His Mercy towards us by giving us one opportunity after another to draw closer to Him and the consuming fire of His love.
As Catholics, we have a pearl of great price in the Holy Eucharist that is praise-filled and is the greatest and most powerful prayer that can be lifted up to God. Yet still, many do not recognize God’s glory in this timeless proclamation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has ransomed us all. Many just rush in and out as if in a fast-food restaurant; but even there, we spend more time and more care than at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. All of these things He does for us and so much more, yet we do not praise Him and give Him the glory that is due to Him. How heartbreaking that must be. In fact, when we behave like this, it breaks God’s heart. In the book of Amos, chapter 4, verses 6 – 10, God is complaining; His heart is broken. He laments that He’s tried all kinds of things to let His people recognize Him and come back to Him; but they would not. I guess it is like a young lover trying to get the love of their life to notice them; but no matter what they try – sending flowers, chocolates, notes – all are rejected. This is what we do to God. We the creatures are so consumed by our sinfulness that we fail to see or refuse to see and acknowledge the love of the Creator. Indeed, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God!”
The Catholic Catechism tells us that many people do not pay attention to God because their lives are occupied mainly by the affairs of men rather than with God. In his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 4, St. Paul writes, “If our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on their way to salvation; the unbelievers whose minds the god of this world has blinded, to stop them from seeing the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” So if this is you, pray that the One True Eternal God, who is All Merciful, but who is also a Just God, will open your eyes to the truth that surrounds you, and set you free to see and experience the love and the mercy of God, and in this new freedom, to praise and to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Now why do we or should we praise God? This is answered by looking at the Catholic Catechism [27] which teaches us:-
“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops looking for.“
It continues, “The dignity of man rest above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is address to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists, it is because God has created him through love, and through love, continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to the Creator.“
All of us have that desire for holiness engrained in our beings, and the means to fulfil that desire, that longing is all around us, for all of creation testifies to the truth of the One True Eternal God, who loves us, who loves you so much more than your mind can ever conceive. The true recognition of that desire and the source of fulfilment will only lead us to one thing – TOTAL PRAISE OF THE ONE TRUE AND ETERNAL GOD! It will lead us to praise Him; and as we praise Him; not because of anything He has done, but because of who HE IS. As we praise Him, He reveals more of Himself to us. Then that praise will cause us to worship Him. As we worship Him in spirit and in truth, and our eyes are opened more and more to the truth and the unthinkable love and mercy of our God, then like the prophet Jeremiah, we too will surrender to Him and allow ourselves to be complete seduced by Him. That seduction will lead to a greater surrendering our lives and our wills to Him. Guess what happens next? Our lives will be totally and complete and radically transformed in ways that we never thought possible.
That my dear friend is the power of praising God. In that one simple act, your life can be changed for the better. No longer must you who were made for God’s glory, continue to live in darkness. No longer will you continue exist in the slums of decadence, sin and death; but in the glory of God, in the salvation of God. No wonder the devil is working overtime to have our minds and our hearts so consumed by the things of this world, that we fail to truly see and experience the presence of the Living God. But he does not have the final say – THANK GOD! In spite of where you are, in spite of what you’ve done God continues to seek ways to draw you unto Himself because He loves you. Because He is Love.
So praise Him! Praise Him! Glorify the wonderful and matchless name of the Lord our God!
