Special occasions are times of immense joy, defined by
something amazing - worthy of being called ‘special’ in the first place. Whatever
the occasion is, celebration is generally the aim. But an idea which comes to
mind is that, often, we have more to celebrate than we think we do. Losing my
sense of wonder is something I wish never to do – the goodness of God never
ceases to amaze me, and I remind myself regularly about the things He has
blessed me with. Even the smallest good thing stems from the almighty work of
our Father, and is a glimpse of the detailed patterns of His work on the earth.
You see, God is constantly amazing, and He wants to show us this in our lives
all the time. Consequently, our LIVES are a constant special occasion, when He
is seen in them, making them special.
Thinking about this more, I realised that an occasion is
also an opportunity: a chance to celebrate. If our lives are a special
occasion, then there is always an opportunity. But, more than this, they are a
chance to praise the one from whom everything good overflows, and a chance to
recognise the undeniable favour of God in our lives. From a place where we are
able to recognise that the good which exists is GOD, and that any Light is GOD,
it seems that the natural response is to praise Him; ultimate adoration and
thanksgiving responding to the recognition of His goodness. In Psalm 22, it
says that God enthrones himself on our praises; that He is placed in a seat of
authority when we recognise His greatness. Put across in ‘Worship as it is in Heaven’ (written by John Dickson & Chuck
D. Pierce), this idea is developed more fully - but put briefly, it is from
this position of enthronement, that the ultimate release of God’s power on
earth is enabled. So, through His name being praised, God can move and previous
atmospheres can shift; allowing us to walk forward and see God’s purposes
fulfilled. As God’s purposes are for the good of those who love Him and for the
restoration of His Kingdom, our praise can, logically, only lead to a
conclusion that shows us even more of His goodness!
The really amazing
thing is that this never stops, from the moment God blesses us. As a response
to our recognition of God’s favour, we praise Him and bless His name, which
enables God to be enthroned. Through the consequent outpouring of His power and
love, this leads Him to bless us again! What an amazing God…
No comments:
Post a Comment