Amazing

While I was starting this Tidbit I thought of a song that Pastor Piedmonte seemed to love, it may have been his favorite song.  I think it was called “It’s Amazing What Praising Can Do.”  It is a very energetic song that everyone that likes to praise the Lord would probably enjoy singing.  If you are a believer you know that God inhabits the praise of His people, yes, He loves it when we praise Him.

Today I want to let you have a glimpse into a man’s life that found a very good reason to praise the Lord.  This is a true story about a man who was born lame and could not walk.  At the time he probably had no hope of ever walking again.  Every day he went through the same routine, but one day something happened that he would have never expected; this man was healed and he was very excited and he let everyone know about it.  That day was like any other day, he sat at the gate begging, hoping to get some money.  But, as he sat begging, two men named Peter and John walked up to him and said look at us, and the man did what they said expecting to get some money, but one of the men, Peter, said silver and gold I do not have but what I do have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth get up and walk.  Then grabbing him by the right hand, he raised him up and immediately the man’s legs and ankles were made strong, jumping up he stood and began walking and went with them into the temple walking and leaping and praising God!!  Can you imagine how excited this man was!!  You can read this story in Acts 3:1-10.     

Now I want you to read a story about ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19, “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’”

Can you imagine, only one came back glorifying God and to give Him thanks and this man was a Samaritan.  The reason this is so strange is that Jews and Samaritans hated one another in Jesus’ day when He walked the earth.  And where were the nine Jews, only this foreigner came back to give God praise?  In those days this form of Leprosy was a death sentence; maybe they were so excited they went to share this miracle with their family and friends. (Just a side note, if this was the kind of leprosy I believe it was that these men had, they must have been very contagious and if they were fifty feet down wind of a person they had to cover their heads and holler, unclean, unclean).  They would have been banished from all their friends and family so that they wouldn’t spread the disease. It was a horrible disease and to be healed of it must have been almost unbelievable and amazing.  

But I think the best praise the Lord receives, is a sacrifice of praise.  When everything seems to be going badly and you are ready to throw in the towel, so to speak, when you seem to have lost all hope and you just start praising the Lord even when the tears are falling, when you can hardly find the strength to keep moving forward but even in all this praise and adoration comes from your heart and you glorify the God that created you just because He is worthy!!  That is what I call a sacrifice of praise to an amazing God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

This is what Job did when he had lost most of what he had, even his children.  Please read Job 1:20-22, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”

Job was crushed and perplexed, not knowing what was happening to him but he knew that God was faithful and that He was worthy!!  What an amazing God we serve!!  Praise the Lord!!  Something to think about and may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!