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Put A New Song In Your Mouth


He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:3)

 

          Having trouble praising God? Your heart just isn't in it? You don't know what to say? Praise and exuberance just isn't your thing? I can relate. Oh, when something happens, I can spontaneously praise, but praise as a discipline? Ha! Daily, purposefully, deliberately praise? Praise because God deserves it even if I don't feel like praising? That's just hard. It's not my style. I hate generic or scripted greetings or praises. I want to have depth but I don't want to use other people's words. Do you see how much harder I make praising? 
          One answer to the challenge of praising more is to ask God to put a new son in your mouth, a hymn of praise to him. Another answer is to get your ego out of it - use someone else's words. Forget about being original, or creative, or lofty. It's not about you, it's about Him. (Ouch!) Keep in mind that praise is a skill, like driving a car. When you're first starting out, everything is so complicated. After a while, you're doing things you shouldn't be doing while driving because driving is "natural."
          Last Sunday, I got to do the Scripture reading and prayer at Church (another first for me.) I knew the sermon was going to be about Mary and her response to the news that she was going to give birth to Immanuel.  The idea came to mind to turn her song o praise, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-54), into our praise. I made only as many changes as I had to, printed it out and read it as our prayer. I used someone else's words. I prepared it before hand. It was scripted. In many ways it was precisely the way I hate to pray or praise, and yet it was beautiful. Had I come up with beautiful words of my own, they could not have been more perfect for the time. The little bit I added adds nothing. 

          Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning for Immanuel. May this Christmas be the beginning of a year in which our souls magnify You, Lord, and our spirit rejoiced in You, God our Savior, for you have been mindful of the humble state of we, Your servants. Let generations call us blessed for the great things the Mighty One does for us. Holy is Your name. Your mercy extends to those who fear You from generation to generation. You have performed mighty deeds with your arm; you have scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. You have brought down rulers from their thrones but have lifted up the humble. You have filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. You has helped his servants, the Church, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.  
          We ask You this morning to speak a fresh word of revelation, confirmation or mystery to us, to be Immanuel in us, and through us to once again reach into Your world with love. Glorify Yourself in and through us, in Jesus name, Amen.

 

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