Psalms 47:1-9 KJV
(1) To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
(2) For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
(3) He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
(4) He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
(5) God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
(6) Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
(7) For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
(8) God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
(9) The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

As I ponder the question this morning of how I started a Psalms a Sunday Series only to miss Psalms 47, I begin to wonder about my own intelligent in this decision of working through the Psalms this way and then I am reminded God had laid it on my heart and it was not my decision. The sole purpose of the Psalms A Sunday series was to bring about the Praises of God, however I doubt it stated that way in the first Sunday I did it. Then again I could be wrong. What occurs for me is I get off track on one subject or another and never get back to the hallelujah shout and praise the Lord choir. It is so needed in Daily Devotions, especially when one talks so much about the law and love and grace of God and the wrath of God. One can speak of the law of God and the law of mercy of God, yet without ever saying Thank you Lord for mercy, and grace, one never gets to a point of praise.

The other day I was so impressed with a young lady who was only eight years old that took time to say thank to me for something I did. She was not coached in this thank you and this impressed me. For eight years old she spoke well and I wonder about myself at that age. I happen to think as adults have we forgotten gratitude when we receive anything from each other. I have found myself speechless on this issue. The lessons coming from children of the issue of gratitude. The issue of saying you.

I once was waken by God at three in the morning and told to praise Him. I looked through the Psalms and no praise came through scripture. I found myself trying to Praise God for something and could not just say thank you God for today, or my family, my husband or something of that nature. I began to realize what was wrong with myself. I had forgotten in my pain, in my anger to thank God. I forgotten how to make melody in my heart. I got to say thank you Lord for all your bounty, for all your mercy and grace. I forgot to thank God for the pain and the ability to endure. When going through a trial it hard to say Thank you Lord. Easier to say thank you when all is right with the world around you. When it a glorious day and the flowers are in bloom and the sky is not cloudy or gray.

At eight no I probably did not know how to give that proper thank you as that young lady did, but I did know how to praise God. I knew how to sing the praise of God and say thank you Lord and I love you Lord. What God teaches us we need to apply to other areas of our life that is one point I making. The second point and most important point is we need to praise and thank the Lord. But the third point I want to make is God control to teach, to rule in our daily lives.

God is authority in the world around us, He is a good God and a God in authority over the kingdoms of the earth, and He raises and destroys the power of the earth. He is a great God to His people that He loves. He is a great God to those that are His for his mercy reigns. God departs with a shout and Lord with a trumpet a sign victory over the enemy, yet it also a sign of the wrath of God to come, it is a call to assemblies of worship of God. For when the trumpet sounds Christ will descend as well as the wrath of God will be poured out. Think for a moment what it was like to come to the tent meeting at the time of the tabernacle of Israel where the ark was kept. The law of God read out and repentance to the law came, and the ark would be lifted up before the people. Christ would be lifted up into heaven after his death and his disciples would see this. Yet Christ will come with a shout and a trumpet. The trumpet a call to worship a call to the wrath of God’s word to bring about holiness of a nation. A purification of God’s people at the hearing of the things of God as a reminder.

Israel no doubt knew how to worship God around the ark with dancing and singing and praise. Yet they to like all of us had to repent and yet they had not the promise of the physical coming of the Messiah until the time of Christ. Yet Christ return will come with a trumpet. The assembling of God’s people will come with a call of the trumpet. The bugle was used to call to war the soldiers. The trumpet is a call to God’s people for the final battle. The ringing of the bells call people to church or use to anyway, only for bells to become more silent as time goes on. Have people forgotten God with the ascension of Jesus in the flesh only to be reminded time and time again of God’s Holy Word and His promise of time gone by. Has the waiting for Christ return become a silencing of the bells for no one wants to heart the truth of Jesus. In Islamic culture the horn calls the people to worship, today loud speakers do the job of the horn. People come into the city streets to worship God every time the horn sound is played. If Christians would learn to be witness of the power of God by the tunes of the bells ringing the churches would be packed. The call of God to hear His word to have victory over our hearts. If those culture so different then ours have ability to assemble to worship and praise their God can we not has Christians assemble to the call of God.

If as a Christian we consider ourselves better because we have received the promise of Christ, then why are we not no longer hearing the call daily in our street to assemble for worship and praise. If praise is to be on our lips continually, why do we forget to say thank you Jesus? Do we speak only by the power of God, have we failed to openly willingly give our heart to praising Jesus. Is our praise only a forced repetition when it is required as the none believers of Christ or a willing praise by volunteering praise to God. Have we learned to praise God by His Spirit so voluntarily when we do it, The shout and the praise is a part of who we are as believers. Have we gotten past the religiosity of faith and gone into a deeper abiding faith not because of who God is but because of our choice to worship God. Our hearts should rejoice at the word of God because of His mercy and grace to warn us, to enable us, to help us to learn proper respect of praise. To learn is not a force, but a desire by choice, not because everyone else is. Faith goes beyond religiosity.

Dear Heavenly Father help us to understand religiosity is only should be used as a tool of teaching and unity, but not a tool to dedicate faith. A tool encourage knowledge of who you are. The knowledge to say thank you Lord for your mercy and grace. In Jesus precious name, Amen.