Tag Archives: Always

Singing with the King (62) – Every Bone

Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because he rescues me. With every bone in my body I will praise him: “Lord, who can compare with you? (Psalm 35:9-10)

Woman healedWith every bone in my body. When I looked up the word for bone in the Hebrew, it meant…bone. But it also means (as secondary translations) body, limbs, self and strength. That’s a pretty significant commitment for praise. And when you add the word every, which is also translated as whole, all, completely, anything, whatever and whenever, the praise become totally consuming.

When’s the last time you praised the LORD with every bone in your body? With all that you are? David did so after the Lord delivered him. That’s a good reason to be “all in.” Being saved is another. And thinking about how God saved us, is there ever a time when praise for that gets old? I hope not.

Another question is: is that kind of depth and commitment of praise beyond you? Well it’s not that the Lord isn’t deserving of such praise, whether it is a result of what He has done for us, or just because He is who He is. So when it comes to praising God with every bone in my body, the problem lies completely within us. What can we do?

The Apostle Paul has some counsel which should help: Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Did you catch those sweeping generalities? Always… never…all circumstances. In order to do that requires we spend serious time in His presence. Did I say serious? I meant ALL time. Now that’s no big deal for God. He is, after all, omnipresent and omniscient. But imagine how your life would change if you lived your life always in His proximity, always in His Presence, and always with His perspective. You’d certainly be more practiced with your praise. But showing up once a week ain’t gonna do it. However, the more you praise, will help you to praise with more—even with every bone.

Keeping your life within God’s context will help you to praise Him even in the unexpected, and the overwhelming. And being thankful in all things may even get all you bones involved.

Singing with the King (15) – Promises, Promises

I will sing your praises forever and will always keep my promises. (Psalm 61:8)

I PromiseAlways is a pretty tough word to keep. When was the last time you broke your promise? The punishment for such a breach is quite severe:

The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.   The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.  (Deuteronomy 19:18-20)

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will perish. (Proverbs 19:9)

It could be weeks, months, or years; or just in the last few minutes. It could have been huge, or it could have been small. Maybe you ran out of time. Or it got too complicated. Or it was hurting too much. Or maybe, you had no intention of keeping your promise in the first place. Consider the following:

Who may stay in God’s temple or live on the holy mountain of the Lord? Only those who obey God
and do as they should. They speak the truth and don’t spread gossip; they treat others fairly and don’t say cruel things. They hate worthless people, but show respect for all  who worship the Lord.
And they keep their promises, no matter what the cost. (Psalm 15:1-3)

He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9)

Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:45)

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Whether keeping your word, or your promises, may your character reflect the Lord Jesus Christ.