“O Yahweh, all your creatures shall praise you,
and your godly people shall pay homage to you!
About the glory of your kingdom they shall speak
and talk about your heroic strength!
So that your strength may become known to the children of men,
the glorious splendor of your kingdom!” -Ps. 145.10-12 (Kraus’ tr.)
The psalmist sees creation from a majestic vantage point. From his view, all the splendor of creation points Godward, and he is eager for all Israel, indeed all mankind, to enter into the high praises of the Lord.
“…. the invitation to praise Yahweh in vv. 10-12 now turns to “all his creatures,” so that the power and salvation of Yahweh may become known to “all the children of men.” “King Yahweh” (v. 1) rules a universal “kingdom,” which endures through all generations and radiates benevolent effects to all the world.
…. It is the wish of the singer that in the universal kingship of Yahweh “all flesh” would join in the praise.
…. In statements of praise the singer pays tribute to the great deeds of “King Yahweh.” He renders homage to the majesty of the powerful and merciful God. In the invitations and challenges that pulse through the hymn and determine its content all creatures- without regard for time and space- are drawn into the praise of God. To them the ideal government of the kingdom of Yahweh is impressively described and witnessed. Yahweh’s rule is characterized by salvific faithfulness and goodness that is bent down to those who pray and are afflicted.
(PSALMS: A Continental Commentary Vol. 2, Hans Joachim-Kraus; Fortress Press, pp. 548-549)
It is not the religious specialist who beholds the “salvific faithfulness and goodness” of God, but rather the one who accepts the invitation to “praise Yahweh,” and to pray even though he is experiencing very present affliction. The psalmists are preeminently God-centered men, and they are ever and always calling us out of self-absorption, and into the high praises of the One who is ruling and reigning from the heavenly throne.
To pray in the midst of affliction is to acknowledge our weakness and frailty, but in that acknowledgement we are surrounded by the protective power of the immeasurable strength of God Himself. From the place of praise we realize that His kingdom “radiates benevolent effects to all the world,” including the pieces of dust that we are. His wisdom transcends our own and yet He warmly responds to the one who honors Him in the valley, and for that very reason it is the highest human privilege to enter into prayer and praise from the context of affliction.
We should not think of affliction as sickness or physical pain only, for the most frequent afflictions are inward. The pains of disillusionment, confusion, shaken paradigms, self-conscious idiosyncrasies. Entering into prayer and praise from the place of inward affliction is the great privilege of the saint.
David even has the audacity, powered by his intimate knowledge of the Lord, to pray for a theophany, an appearance of God Himself, during a season of remarkable pressure and trial (Ps. 144.5ff.). While the unbeliever has no place to turn in such times, the child of God has a faithful Father and King whose ear is bent in his favor.
Paul and Silas sung high praises from the ground of affliction, and the cosmos could not contain the contradictory dynamic of weak souls seeing beyond their present trial and into the heavens, “where Christ is.” The earth, and the powers which influenced it, were not accustomed to suffering men radiating the “benevolent effects” of God’s kingdom. An earthquake ensued and bonds were broken. “….the kingdom of God has come upon you….”
To behold the works of God and the character of God rightly, our self-inflicted “inward afflictions” have got to be jostled, and it is the act of praise itself that breaks the lies and shatters the presumptions that have so often caused them.
The works of God which man explores speak a language which provokes him to a hymn of praise. And in praise fragmentary perceptions turn into a unity and a whole, together with the still unexplored secrets which continue to threaten even the most thoroughly established knowledge.
(H.W. Wolff, ibid. p. 549)
Our “thoroughly established knowledge” is frequently the culprit and cause of our inward afflictions. We need repeatedly to be jolted into reality through the singular revelation of God on the throne, ruling in beauty and holiness and wisdom. When at once we see Him exalted on high, our suspicions, presumptions, bitternesses, and distorted perceptions are dashed to the dust, and we enter into the extraordinary liberty of praise. This is not to say that we are not called to wrestle through the seasons of breaking and trial, but to say that a wrestling on any lesser ground than the ground of prayer and praise will only keep us fixed in cycles of self-centered thought. We need daily and increasingly to be struck by the vision of God, as He actually is, and to praise Him in that glorious light.
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Good and applicable insight to any of us responding out of need to God as father. One thing that stands out too is that the Kingdom comes by hearing the Message and responding to it, whether of affliction or inward joy appearing in whole or fragmented personal focus for anyone. It is clear throughout the scriptures, Psalms and NT included, that we are weak and He is strong. We are inadequate, yet are adopted into the beloved for the very purpose of acceptance and ongoing change. From our inadequacies we bend our knees, seek the quiet interchange, confess our sins, and sit, walk, and stand in Jesus.
Detroit prayer rally draws protests
By Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press
Updated 12h 35m ago
Speaking to thousands inside Ford Field, the controversial leader of a 24-hour prayer rally in Detroit called for Jesus to rule over Detroit, Dearborn and America. Otherwise, he warned, the U.S. will fall into ruin.
By Jeff Karoub, AP
Ford Field in Detroit was used for TheCall, a 24-hour Christian prayer gathering.
‘We need Jesus’ face to appear all across America,” Lou Engle thundered to a cheering crowd Friday night at TheCall, a movement that has drawn criticism.
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Before the rally began, about 150 people protested against Engle, who is with a movement called the New Apostolic Reformation. Its leaders often rail against Muslims, gays, abortion, Catholics, African Americans and politicians who support abortion rights.
They say Dearborn is under demonic control because of its Muslim population. And they say they believe African Americans have been cursed by Satan in recent decades because they vote Democratic.
Organizers for Engle’s prayer event were expecting 50,000 to 70,000 people to show up, but the crowd size was markedly smaller than that, with much of the stadium unfilled. They also were heavily targeting African Americans in Detroit, but most of the crowd was white.
“Their message is not one of inclusion; it’s of hate,” said Jennifer Teed of Detroit, who opposed Engle’s prayer event. “I don’t see how that’s religious.”
She held up a sign that read, “All are people” and “Standing on the Side of Love.”
The protest against Engle featured Catholic, Baptist and Methodist pastors from Detroit, as well as gay rights and women’s activists. Chanting “Stop the hate” and “Spread the love,” the protesters said the prayer rally inside the stadium promotes division and intolerance.
“God did not call us to hate,” said the Rev. Charles Williams of Historic Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit.
In the past year, Engle and his supporters have said their message is the key to reviving the world. Engle says black gospel music can defeat pop culture and then lead a generation to convert Muslims.
“We believe that God wants to raise up a new worship sound out of Detroit,” said Engle, who is based in Kansas City, Mo., at the International House of Prayer.
But several Detroit clergymen said they were being patronizing and racist toward minorities. Some Muslims were concerned about their mosques because Engle and others made references to targeting local Islamic centers.
During his talks Friday night, Engle often referred to Dearborn, calling for Jesus to appear “all over Dearborn, all over Michigan.”
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
Posted 12h 37m ago | Updated 12h 35m ago
Ohio couple’s godly gifts could land them in prison USATODAY.com in News
The above was reproduced in USA Today from the Detroit Free Press. Trending here is that the Call to North America must be extended from all who call upon His Name. To affect the change needed we must heed the Call to declare a Council, and seek His mighty intervention for this present Lost Generation. Each and every believer, wherever we bow our knees before the father, in prayer closets and in fellowhships across this great Continent declare a Fast, and set a three month season for petition of consecration, repentance, rededication, and holy humble regard: to break the bondage over our Land we must join as ONE. Our placement is all over the Continent, and the present darkness requires more than seven key cities for a mutual petition, repentance, and request of the Father to visit again his people. Look up the Asbury Renewal of 1970 on You Tube, the half hour version report, and begin to see the need for all who call upon his name heeding the Yom Kipper Call in 2012, ignored in 2011: for the time is short. If His People, who call upon His Name, will humble themselves, repent, etc….
We are still responding in camps, in preferences of pursuit of ways and means, and in predictable religious scripted manner. This will not suffice. It is time for the Lord to visit His People, this great Land, and for us to see and find Christ the Hope of Glory in One another to make a conjoint effort for the change He will bring.
This is a beautiful article. I know this. In the midst of living, loss, and death of my dear husband, I know this to be true. We learned as a couple that in the midst of our trials, kids, and marital problems, this worship created a sacred space between us and god and between each other allowing the presence of the Lord to be and to move according to His marvelous will. Isn’t it amazing how God moves beyond our imagnation? Even in the midst of situations of great darkness he moves! Thank you for this beautiful article embodying the truth I have learned in worhipping the Lord! Selah!