To Encourage You

Luke 19:37-40 “As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’”

Psalm 145:3 “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”

Do you realize what an inestimable privilege it is to be able praise God?  Of all created things, this privilege has been provided to only angels and human beings.  Nevertheless, every other created thing, inanimate and animate, in one way or another, brings glory and praise to God. In the very nature of the creation God is praised.  God has filled His universe with wonder, which is inevitable since His very nature, indeed His very name is “Wonderful” (Isaiah 9:6).  Everything our wonderful God has ever done elicits wonder and praise. Indeed, “the whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).  That’s what the seraphim that Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6 were saying day and night. They never stopped.  And that’s what John saw in his vision of heaven (Revelation 4:8).  In fact, the only reason anything exists is to bring God glory.

Have you ever thought about this?  That truth holds for every atom, every animal, the oceans, the streams, the mountains, the trees, everything – up to and including you and me.  All of it, by its very nature, points to the wisdom, power, and beauty of our infinite God.  Indeed, as we are told in Psalm 19 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”  Yet, incredibly, on the entire face of the earth, it is only man that can consciously and willingly give Him praise. 

This begins at the very moment of birth, as we are told in these words of Jesus: “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise” (Matthew 21:16).” A baby’s cry points to the wonder of the God who gives life.  The child’s humble and trusting attitude speaks of the faith God desires from each one of us, for, again as Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). 

All our lives we are given the capacity to give voice to the wonders of God.  We can speak of His glory. We can sing about it. We can express our wonder and praise through the medium of the written word.  It is ordained of God that we give Him praise, for He alone is worthy. 

And if we don’t, if every person would consciously refuse, then even the rocks would cry out, as Jesus said in the verses above to the ungrateful and hateful Pharisees.  Here were men to whom Jesus had come, choosing to be born a Jew in the land of Palestine. Yet, incredibly, although “He came to his own . . . his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).  This incredible God, to whom all creation, even the stars, bring glory, these fallen, wicked men from Jerusalem rejected and hanged on a cross.

How this points to the depth of our sin, and to minds that have been so infected by the Fall that we are “dumber than stones,” so to speak.  In another place we are told that “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3).  How many never give thanks to the God who has provided their every meal?  How many, day after day, give no consideration to the God who made them as they go about their daily lives as if the One Who all nature glorifies doesn’t even exist? 

So what about you?  Does the praise of God fall from your lips? Do you meditate on the glory of this God Who has made everything, including you?  Or have you been deceived by the fallen world that denies there even is a Creator, if not explicitly, then practically by living a life that gives Him no thought. 

In heaven this will never be the case. In heaven, we see scenes such as this: “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’  And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” (Revelation 5:11-13). 

Do you hear that? Do you understand that “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them” were glorifying and praising the incomparable glory of God the Father and God the Son.  It will be the scene for all eternity – and yet that praise is not enough to speak of the glory of the God Who made all that is, yet died for those Who rejected Him so that they might one day not only glorify Him, but also be glorified with Him forever. 

Do you know Him?  Do you acknowledge Him in all you do?  Do you love Him? Do you praise Him?  The awesome truth is that you may, if you will. But you should know that even the rocks will cry out if you and I do not, for nothing will ultimately rob our great God of the glory He is due.