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Last week I was doing my annual thinking about the new year possibilities, and I asked God what purposes He had for us this year. I think about purpose a lot, about whether or not I'm living a meaningful life and such. And I believe that purpose is a gift from God, because like Jesus says, apart from Him we can do nothing. But still I become anxious about this. Anyway, I then read my last Psalm reading for the year, which was Psalm 149 & 150. And I think what God was saying to me is that praise is more important than purpose. Or at least that praise is a good purpose for the coming year. So now I'm praying that He'll help me to praise Him and teach me how to live a life of praise.
Praise the LORD.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with tambourine and harp.
For the LORD takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.
Let the saints rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
to carry out the sentence written against them.
This is the glory of all his saints.
Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
(NIV) |
