“Exalt
The Lord”
Psalms 99:5-9
5)
Exalt ye the LORD our God,
and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
6)
Moses and Aaron among his
priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the
LORD, and he answered them.
7)
He spake
unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance
that he gave them.
8)
Thou answeredst
them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest
vengeance of their inventions.
9)
Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.
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O |
Many
identify with and aspire to elevation yet probably not of the type Jesus
enjoyed. In a society where people are becoming increasingly more concerned
with blending into their surroundings, the elevation which comes from being
associated with Jesus generally calls for too much attention from the world.
Interestingly
enough, most people today feel that it is easier to keep a low-profile and not
stand up for the cause of Christ than to put oneself “on the line,” so to
speak. But what many fail to realize is that even though one keeps his beliefs
to himself, if he is saved, neither Satan nor the Lord will let him rest.
Everyone
who is saved knows that simply declaring yourself a “Christian” is completely different from telling someone you are
“saved.” You see, being a “holy-roller” and “sanctified” is not popular—it is
neither politically nor socially “correct.”
Though
we live in a world where it seems the less said about God, the better; we, the
redeemed of the Lord are admonished to exalt Him because He is great! Those of
us who have been recipients of the abundant blessings of God want others to
know that He is great and greatly to be praised!
An
inseparable element of exalting the Lord is that of learning to operate under
His full control. The crucial word is operate, for
every aspect of our lives must be directed by Him. Of course, if one is really
“in Him” (that is, in union with Him), then he is automatically under the
Lord’s control.
However,
if your concern is about yourself, you are not in union with Him! It is as
simple as that. We can never learn to be in agreement and harmony with Him as
long as we retain our preferences. What the Lord prefers for His kingdom, His
Church and you (His property) will never be a reality in the life which still
exists for itself.
The
internal battle that the saints must fight and win in order to “exalt the Lord”
would be accomplished if Man could just be convinced that his own thinking is
adverse to the will of God. Though we devote most of our unsaved lives to the
quest for peace and happiness, these elusive ideals are found only by
surrendering to the Holy Ghost. You see, we often look at these things as ends
in themselves, but the Lord knows that in that they are rewards, of a sort, for
obedience and trust in Him, they are “bonuses” rather than goals. So His will
is not for us to be happy just to be happy but to learn that happiness comes as
a result of “doing right” by Him.
Along
with our call to “exalt the Lord,” we have inherited a charge to worship Him.
We can consider this our inheritance because all those down through the ages
who were His disciples learned to exalt and worship Him. In this, we have a
priceless legacy.
Worship
of our holy God calls for trust in and reliance upon Him. These elements do not
have to be present in one’s life to praise Him. In that praising God is a
matter of “speaking highly of Him,” it is quite possible for one to do this
without trusting Him. Why? Because “everything that hath breath” is commanded
to praise Him in that He is worthy. However, that does not mean that all who
praise Him will acknowledge Him as sovereign and able to control their lives.
Praise
has a definite place in the life of the believer. Through it, we provide a
testimony which lets others know what God will do. Worship holds a particularly
dear and personal place in the life of one redeemed because it allows us to
encourage ourselves. The more we trust Him, the greater He shows Himself to be
and the greater our confidence in “Him” in whom we have believed.” It is
through worship that we are granted meaningful praise.
Particularly
now, the world must see a holy people both magnifying and trusting a holy God.
Events of the day cause many to believe that God does not care and has indeed
forgotten us. The only way others will see that He is still involved in the
lives of men is that He has those who allow Him to be involved. Once He is
involved, we must be testimonies that we are happy with His intervention,
because His will for us is our will.
Perhaps
one of the most tragic outgrowths of these being the “last days” is that too
many saints are minimizing the power of God. To look at most lives today, it
would be easy for one to draw the conclusion that the One many call God lacks
skill in leadership, administration, providing a proper a health care plan and
myriad other things. You see, for many, God has become capable of some things,
but not all. This is confusing and disappointing to men and women who are about
to “drown” (figuratively speaking) and are reaching out to the last rescue
object thrown to them. They “catch it” this time, or go under.
The
sooner we accept what our “lot” is and is not, the
better. Once saved, our lot is not to evade our circumstances, but rather to go
through to the glory of God. The more we withstand, the greater we show Him to
be. You see, God’s interest in delivering us is not in taking us out of a test,
but in “holding our hand” as we go through and offering His hand at the end so
that He might pull us out on top!
Only
you can properly exalt the Lord for yourself. Yes, He occupies an already
exalted position but He deserves exaltation in the individual life—for what
He has done no one else could have done in exactly the same way. You may not
be able to tell as well as someone else, what He has done, but then again,
only you tell what He has done for you!