A Covenant of Peace, A Covenant of Praise

3/29/23

I said in my last post, that there are more actions than trust required on my part to uphold the covenant.  They are praise, worship, thanksgiving and rejoicing.  Now, these actions seem effortless when one is at peace in most areas of life. 

However, a lot of us are lacking in some areas that could dampen our desire to praise God, but especially those of us who are immersed in tragedy, pain, sorrow, loss, worry…I could go on and on.  Though, God’s Word says differently.

“In spite of his severe ordeal, Job still blessed the Lord. His worship of God was not based on his material blessing. Job 1:20-22 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. No matter what we experience in reference to trials and sufferings, keep your worship of God consistent. If your sickness or trial is not understandable to you, trust God, your Faithful Father. He knows what He is up to. Leave room for the sovereignty of God.

Defer to the wisdom and sovereignty of God every time you fail to comprehended the negative experiences of your life. At times, surrender your perceived right to know and understand everything that God permits to happen in your life. Through the process, trust Him.”

Healing Part 1 - God's Nature As Healer.pdf (randolphbarnwell.com)

Ten days before I was to write the Covenant of Peace with the Lord, I heard in prayer: “Worship the Lord your God and His blessing will be on your food and your water!”  I found the verse in Exodus 23:25 Worship the LORD your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.  God was laying more groundwork for my obligations to uphold the covenant.  Worship Him!

Therefore. my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.  Acts 2:26.

What is ‘true’ worship, I wondered?  Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

I like this definition of worship which is tied to praise from What it means to praise God | FaithWriters: “Praise is defined as the expression of respect and gratitude as an act of worship. The first mention of the word in the Bible is found in Genesis 29:35. It is the Hebrew word yadah and it means (among other things) to revere or worship (with extended hands)'. It also means to give thanks.

Since our words convey our thoughts, we offer praises to God mostly with words, spoken, sung or written. The Bible urges that the fruit of our lips should give thanks to God. We should also not forget the Hebrew word Hallelujah which means Praise God… It follows then that we can praise God with anything or any gesture that expresses the intensity of our adoration to Him.

The ultimate sacrifice of praise that God requires from us is the offering of ourselves (our bodies, thoughts and conducts). We are told in the Bible to: Present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to him, which is our reasonable act of worship. Romans 12:1.”

Could I look at my body suffering as an act of worship?  Could I see suffering at the hands of the enemy or others as an act of worship?  Could I suffer because of someone else’s sin and it be an act of worship?  Yes!

As long as I am not involved in personal sin that would cause my suffering, my reaction could be like Job’s to worship God and glorify Him in it.  To offer my suffering back up to the Lord as worship to glorify Him.  To do this takes the most willful act of discipline on my part.  And sometimes, I just don’t feel like it!  

According to 1 Peter 4:16 & 19: Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter…Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Still, this praise, worship, thanksgiving and rejoicing are my obligations in the Covenant of Peace.  So, if I want God to keep His promises in the covenant then I have to keep mine.  Now that I see my suffering as an act of worship; I can be thankful and offer Him praises in all things.  This will be easier to do.

“We need to rejoice in the judgments of the Lord in our own lives, because afterward we would have our desired peace in a perpetual Covenant of Peace.”  Covenant of PEACE, sonstoglory.com.

So, I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows.  Psalm 61:8.

Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You.  Psalm 56:12.