Sing Songs of Thanks and Praise

My daily Bible reading took me to 1 Chronicles 23 this morning. What I read nearly stopped me in my tracks.
                                                                                                                                 
1 Chronicles 23 lists the duties of the Levites. Here is a list of the responsibilities assigned to the Levites once the temple was constructed:

• assist the priests
• take care of the courtyards and side rooms
• help perform the ceremonies of purification
• in charge of the sacred bread, choice flour, cakes cooked and olive oil, and the other mixed breeds
• stand before the LORD each morning and evening to sing songs of thanks and praise to Him. 
• they assisted with....

Wait a second...they were responsible for standing before the LORD each morning and evening to sing songs of thanks and praise to Him????

I started meditating on why God would include this in Scripture. I mean I know we should always thank God and we should sing praises to Him, but this verse is placed among all the other responsibilities the Levites had in their care of the Temple. 

My Thoughts

If you think back on the history of the Israelites after God used Moses to bring them out of Egypt you know that they had a tendency to grumble and complain (Exodus 15:24, Exodus 16:2, Exodus 17:2). When they grumbled and complained they took their eyes off God, which not only impacted their walk with God, but everyone around them. 

So now we are at the end of David's reign, the start of Solomon's reign and the Temple will soon be constructed. God knew that He needed to make sure that the Israelites kept their focus on Him so among the list of responsibilities given to the Levites He was sure to include thanks and praise. 

Singing songs of thanks and praise is primarily how we worship God, submit to His lordship and ultimately ensure that He receives all glory and honor. But, there is a benefit for us as well. 

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist and this is what she says about expressing gratitude: 

 Gratitude can change our brain (there has been alot of research that proves this). It can stop the incessant loop of negativity and complaining that cause us to experience not only physical problems but anxiety, nervousness, anger, jealousy. 

If this is not a daily practice for you (and I admit I definitely need to practice this more) then why not start now? 

Every morning as the sun rises and every evening as the sun sets sing praises and thanks to God. I promise if you can learn to do this then He will take ashes and turn them into beauty for His glory. 

The Faith of a Gentile Woman Part 1: What to do in the silence

The Faith of a Gentile Woman Part 1: What to do in the silence

I met the most amazing woman in Scripture this past weekend. Her name is not mentioned, but she is remembered for her faith. She is a Gentile. She is a woman. Already two strikes against her. But she is a mom who finds herself in a desperate situation. You see, her daughter, whom she loves, is possessed by an evil spirit. She had heard that a man called Jesus, who was known for healing, had come to town. She was at the end of her rope. He was her absolute last resort. She went against all the rules of her culture to go to Him. 


She came to Him immediately and fell at His feet. It didn’t matter to her that she was a woman or that she was a Gentile. She was desperately resolved to have her daughter healed. 

She begged and she pleaded for Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus did not respond right away. I wonder what His silence did to her spirit in that moment. Silence can be so loud sometimes can't it? It is in the silence that our own inner voices shout at us and I can only imagine what her inner voice could have been saying to her because I know what mine would be saying: 

• "I'm not good enough for Jesus to heal my daughter." 
• "I'm just a woman. I don't matter to these men."
• "No one else could help me. Why did I think Jesus would?"

In the silence we must not let our emotions rule our heart. Our emotions will lie to us and lead us down a path to destruction. 

Jesus had a purpose in not answering her right away. He wanted to draw out and strengthen her faith. It was a test for her to see how resolved she was in seeking help for her daughter. And He wanted to do this, not just for her, but for the disciples watching. 

Silence from heaven doesn't always mean "No." It can mean, "Not this. Not now. Not yet."

So the next time you are desperately resolved to seek help from Jesus, don't take His silence as a closed door. Use the silence as an opportunity to strengthen your faith and to draw near to Him. In the end not only will your faith be strengthened, but the faith of those around you will be strengthened as well. 

Be strong and immovable. 

Stand firm. 

Be courageous. 

Never give up. 

That, my friend, is how God takes ashes and turns them into beauty. 

(There is so much to learn from this woman that I am working on multiple blogs, so stay tuned).