4-minute read
I once fell out of a golf cart and got a massive concussion.
No kidding.
(It’s a long and actually funny story that I’d love to tell you in person some time.)
I ended up in the hospital for two nights.
It was crazy.
Boy, I couldn’t remember anything.
I mean, I knew my name… and who my wife was… and what year it was…
But I didn’t remember that, at the time, my wife was pregnant.
Or who I’d seen earlier that day.
Or what had happened to me.
And whenever someone would remind me of those things…
I’d forget it a minute later.
New memories just wouldn’t stick.
It was… disorienting. To say the least.
Like that guy in the movie Momento, I had to keep reminding myself of things.
I had to remind myself what was going on…
And I had to remind myself that, in that condition, I wasn’t seeing things very clearly…
Or understanding things very well.
It took some effort, but reminding myself of what was really, really true was necessary and important for me to handle all that was going on.
That’s kind of like this season we’re all living through right now, isn’t it?
It’s confusing… it’s disorienting… and we’re losing track of what’s really, truly true.
Especially who God is.
Who He is in the midst of all of this.
And who He is in even beyond all of this.
So how do we reorient ourselves to who God really is?
I think the main way we can do this is through… praise.
*****
Praise is simply telling God who He is.
You can praise by singing a song to God…
Or reading a Psalm out loud…
Or just declaring some of the amazing traits of God.
Again, praise is simply telling God who He is.
But there’s an interesting side effect of telling God who He is—
We tell ourselves who He is.
I don’t know about you, but I need that.
I need that a whole lot.
And I need that a lot during this season.
All too often I get confused about who God is.
I mean, if you gave me a quiz that said something like:
Which of the following made the Universe:
A) A 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
B) Vimlam, the patron saint of mercy and lost socks
C) TV’s Jamie Farr
D) The God of the Bible
I’d get that question right.
But when my emotions start to take over (again, especially in seasons like this), I start to waffle in what I put my trust in. “Yes, I trust God, but… well… I better stock up. And I need to spend a good hour worrying. And I’ve got to do for me and mine.”
Praise turns all that on its head.
I read something fifteen years ago that’s stuck with me—though I can’t remember the exact wording or who in the world wrote it. It goes something like this:
Worship is an anti-idolatry campaign. It’s a way of reminding ourselves that all we subconsciously believe is worth giving our lives to is nothing compared to the God who’s worth all that and more.
When I praise God, it’s like I’m going through my heart and finding any of those little golden calves I’ve allowed myself to build up inside myself… and tearing them down.
When I sing… or say… “God, you’re powerful” I’m also singing or saying (without explicitly singing it or saying it), “I’m not as powerful as God.”
“God, you’re good to me” implies “Nothing else brings as much good to my life—not my efforts, not the comforts of the world around me, not any other human—as God does.”
“God, you save me through Jesus” reminds me that all my good works don’t do jack bupkis when it comes to saving me.
“Your love endures forever” puts into stark relief any other love I might put my trust in.
“You’re in control” tells me I’m not. And I could never really be in control. All my control has just been an illusion.
“You’re a good, good father” says, “Nothing and no one will ever care for me, guide me, provide for me, or love me like God. And all that other stuff I thought could was me buying into lies.”
Worship reorients me toward who God really is… and what isn’t really God.
*****
Well, how do you praise?
Can I make a suggestion? A fairly simple and straightforward one…
Get alone in the morning.
Find a praise song that says the things you know you need to spoken over yourself.
Something that reminds you of some specific attribute of God that you need to know… really need to know.
Grab your phone. Find a recording or video of that song. (My family is currently way into the band Housefires. Their stuff is great!)
Kneel down. (Sure. Why not? Kneeling is a great way to tell your body, “Hey… I’m not the master here. God is. I’m gonna use my body to tell my heart that it’s time to submit to Him and who He really is.)
Play the song…
And sing it.
Even if it’s just quietly…
Sing it (or speak it) out loud…
To God? Yes.
But also to yourself.
Reminds yourself who God is. Who He really… really… really… really is.
Let that truth wash over you.
Let it interrupt your current patterns of thinking…
Let it take back the controls of your airplane—the controls that had been hijacked by your emotions.
Or maybe you open your Bible… and pick a Psalm… and read it… out loud…
Very, very slowly.
Pausing after each line.
Letting it sink in deep.
Like you’re savoring something that’s not only delicious… but very, very good for you.
Something that’s going to remind you of what’s true… and shake you out of the effects of this current concussion season.
Let it do its good work in you.
Praise God to Him…
And Praise God to yourself.
Do you need this?
I do.
*****
How are you today?
Do you need some reorienting?
Do you need to focus less on your emotions and your worries and your doubts?
Focus on God.
Praise Him.
Let your praise be a weapon.
A powerful weapon!
One that demolishes strongholds…
Reminds you of truth…
And helps set you free.
Just spend a few moments… there at the beginning of your day… praising God.
And come away set right.
Set right about God.
Set right about you.
And set right about all that’s not really God…
So you can live in light of the One who truly is…