INADEQUATE PRAISE

Wondering at the Greatness of God

There is a new song on my radio called Counting My Blessings. I was listening to it the other day on my way to work. The chorus goes like this:

One, two, three

Up to infinity 

I’d run out of numbers

Before I could thank You for everything

God I'm still counting my blessings

All that You've done in my life

The more that I look in the details

The more of Your goodness I find

Father on this side of heaven

I know that I'll run out of time

But I will keep counting my blessings

Knowing I can't count that high.

As songs do sometimes, this one made me ponder all of my personal blessings. I wondered how many I could name. From the very beginning when He gave me life in my mother's womb, He set me in a family that I wouldn't trade for anything. My parents loved Him with all their hearts. My father never wavered in his desire that his children be raised to know God and His great love for us. My mother and her musical abilities taught us from infancy to love the music of praise as she played the piano daily and taught us the songs of my youth. My two brothers and four sisters are six of the most amazing people, full of love and humor and intelligence. We may have argued like siblings do, but we never stopped loving each other. I have many nieces and nephews and even a few greats! I am truly blessed with family.

I was born in the greatest country on this earth. I was given opportunities that are considered by some to be sought after. I have traveled to other countries. I have sailed on the ocean. I have driven across this great nation several times. I have lived in numerous states and seen some of the most amazing landscapes, sunrises, sunsets, and crazy weather. I have loved and been loved. I have worked and learned and spent my life in the presence of some pretty amazing people.

As I looked back over my life, I had to admit, it has not been perfect and to tell the truth I would be embarrassed about some of it. My language, my attitude, my selfishness, and many other faults. I realized that through all of the good and bad there were great blessings that I never stopped to thank God for. There were people He brought into my life to shape me, and strengthen me. He prepared me for each step with a new job, or a different set of circumstances that I had to trust Him to help me navigate. Friends, distant relatives, tragedies, comedies, travel, bad decisions, and much much more are all the blessings of my life.

We tend to think that only the good things are from God, but without the bad things He allows, how will we ever appreciate the good? Job said to his wife, "shall we accept the good from God only and not the bad?" Job had done nothing to earn what had happened to him. He lost everything, property, his children and his health and yet he still praised God in the midst of all of that. God knew that Job was faithful. He knew what was in Job's heart was love and gratefulness for who God is, his creator and provider.

Satan in his arrogance thought for sure if he destroyed the man's life then he would lose that deep love for God and fail. I wondered if some of what I went through in my life was Satan testing my love for God. Had I cursed Him during those trials? I don't recall. I hope I was never that angry that I couldn't see the truth of God's love. We often want only the good in this life, but don't realize that the blessings which come from the bad are greater when we have passed through the fire and God has found us faithful. Had Satan never destroyed Job's life, would Job have realized the greater blessing of seeing God restore and multiply everything he had lost, including his children? Would we even have his story to learn from and apply during our own times of distress? Job's troubles not only blessed Job and his family, but still blesses us to this day.

God's goodness to His children is so great that we could never count the blessings, and may not even be able to see them all from our vantage point. We are infinite beings, trapped in a finite space. The things of God we long to know, but we can't even think that big while we are here. He sees the beginning and the end. He knows our heart and feel our sorrow as well as our joy.

Imagine Jesus listening to us complain about our circumstances and gently reminding us to praise God in ALL things. It is through praise that we find hope and strength. It is in our praises that God delights. Imagine Jesus being the inspiration for David and his many psalms of praise. He is the inspiration for many Christian music artists today and the song I mentioned at the beginning is only one such song.

Sometimes when I pray or sing I am brought to tears. I am humbled by how inadequate my praises are compared to all that God has done for me. I am reminded again of a song that I absolutely love to this day. I first heard it as a teenager. It brought me to tears then and it still does to this day. My mother loved it, too. Whenever she would play it I could see she was thinking the same thing as me. My praise is inadequate, but still I lift it up. I've put the words to that song at the end of this blog.

We can't count high enough to count all of God's blessings and we won't even have enough time to praise Him for all He has done while we live here. But the good news is, eternity awaits and our inadequate praise will be magnified with the voices of a million angels and all of our brothers and sisters. It will be then that we will see Him face to face and understand how truly blessed we are to know God and call Him our father and our friend.

Imagine Jesus lifted high and seated on a throne and the praises of His people surrounding Him. He alone is worthy, and we are blessed beyond measure.

To God Be The Glory - Andre' Crouch

How can I say thanks

for the things you have done for me

Things so undeserved

Yet you give to prove your love for me

The voices of a million angels

Could not express my gratitude

All that I am and ever hope to be

I owe it all to Thee

To God be the glory

To God be the glory

To God be the glory

For the things He has done

With His blood, He has saved me

With His power, He has raised me.

To God be the glory

For the things he has done

Just let me live my life

Let it be pleasing, Lord to Thee

Should I gain any praise,Let it go to Calvary.

With His blood, He has saved me

With His power, He has raised me.

To God be the glory

For the things he has done.