Too many times we are like the rat on the wheel. We are so busy asking from God that we hardly have time to offer him praise for the good gifts he gives us.
In the Old Testament, we find where God shows us five opportunities where we should set aside our wheel in order to take the time to offer our praises to him.
Opportunity #1:
Jacob loved Rachel, but due to her father’s trickery, Jacob was forced to marry Rachel’s older sister, Leah, before he was able to marry the woman he loved.
Leah knew she wasn’t Jacob’s first choice. Worse, she felt hated. In Genesis 29:35 we read that God opened her womb, and she bore four sons. The fourth one she named Judah, which means “praise.”
When God answers our most fervent prayers, we should offer our praises up to him.
Opportunity #2:
In Leviticus 19:23-25 God laid out a business plan for the Israelites. All profits from the fruit trees they planted were to be untouched for the first three years and sowed into God’s kingdom with praise and thanksgiving on the fourth. Only during the fifth year were they allowed to eat of the fruit.
That is a business model we can still count on today. For the first three years, invest all profits back into the company. In the fourth, offer God the firstfruits in thanksgiving, for it is by his hand that our business becomes profitable. In the fifth year, we can reap God’s rewards by enjoying the fruits of our labor.
When God has his hand on our business ventures, he deserves praise from us.
Opportunity #3:
Canaan had come mightily against Israel, for without proper spiritual leadership, the children of Israel had become evil in God’s sight. The prophetess Deborah announced God’s commands to the people, and they listened, offering themselves to be used of God.
We read in Judges 5:2 of the first lines of Deborah’s song of triumph against the defeated king of Canaan.
“Praise you the Lord for the avenging of Israel...”
When we allow ourselves to be used of God, and he gives us victory over our oppressors, we should sing a song of praise unto him.
Opportunity #4:
The Ark of the Covenant was the most revered relic in Jewish possession. It symbolized the might and glory of Israel.
David had a special place built for the Ark. He offered burnt offerings and sacrifices, and then he gave to each man and woman in Israel food to eat and wine to drink.
1 Chronicles 16:4 says that during this celebration, David appointed men to praise the Lord God of Israel.
When we gather together with our Christian brothers in fellowship and rejoicing, we should take time to lift our praises before the Lord.
Opportunity #5:
The children of Israel had traveled from Canaan to Egypt, where they grew from a group of 30 to about 4 million, and while fleeing back to their homeland, they weathered many mighty and fearsome wonders underneath the guiding hand of God.
Deuteronomy 10:21 tells the children of Israel to look back on what their eyes have seen, and lift their praises to the God of all creation.
When we grow old and look back upon our lives, we should lift our hands in a shout of praise, for we will see the touch of God on every phase of our journey.
There is no time in our lives that God is not walking beside us. He deserves our praise each and every moment of each and every day.
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