Turn to the sun.
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.”
Psalms 22:1-4 NLT
Have you ever heard of the red car theory? It’s basically the idea that you notice the things you're looking for. If I asked you how many red cars you saw today or yesterday, odds are that you wouldn’t be able to give me a specific number. You know there are many red cars, but if you aren't looking for them it is hard to notice and take note of their presence. On the other hand, If I went and told you that I would give you $100 for every red car you see tomorrow, you could easily focus your attention and remember the plethora of red cars you passed throughout the day. You notice the presence of things you are looking for, while you disregard the presence of things you aren’t looking for. God works in a similar way, He is always there but many of us miss out on experiencing Him because we aren’t looking for Him.
Can I use another analogy to illustrate this point? You remember how the solar system works? The earth rotates around the sun. The sun doesn’t leave, but you only experience its warmth and power when you're turned towards it. The sun is always in the same spot. The only factor that changes in this equation is your orientation to it. God is always here. His presence and power are always beaming down and around us. But many of us aren’t experiencing it because we aren't looking towards Him.
This verse helps point to this concept. It states that “[God is] enthroned on the praises of your people.” Israel’s praise is what puts Him in His rightful space. Other versions say “you inhabit the praises of your people.” This isn't to say God isn't or wasn't great and powerful before or without the praise. This isn’t to say God wasn’t there or left them when they didn’t praise. But similar to how we can’t experience the true warmth and power of the sun on earth unless we are facing it, many of us aren't going to experience the grandeur of God unless we face Him. Praise is about what you're facing. This is what I want you to get. Praise isn't just about singing. It’s about focus. Praise isn't about your song, it's about your orientation. So if praise is what makes us see God, in our deepest moments of fear, doubt and shame, praise should be our response. When we miss God and need Him, praise is a way to experience and be reminded of His ever present help in times of trouble.
When you are in a plane, the difference in perspective makes the skyscrapers that once looked like giants fade until they appear to be more like grasshoppers. Praise forces you to see things from God’s perspective. Praise gives you an opportunity to see God in His rightful place. Praise forces you to juxtapose God's greatness with the problems you face. I guarantee you can't view those bills the same way when you shift your focus from them to the provider. I guarantee you can't view that sickness the same way if you take the time to recount God as a healer. You will only live life like you serve a big God if you take the time to remind yourself that He is a big God.
Are you focused on the storm or the Savior? When you focus on the storm you will most certainly sink, but when you take the time to praise and remind yourself of the goodness of your Savior, I promise your storm won't look as bad. You might even start treading over the very waves that were once terrifying you.
Praise is important because many of us lack object permanence. Object permanence is the idea that things don't just cease to exist because I can't see or feel them at the moment. Babies lack an understanding of object permanence. It’s why they freak out when you play peek-a-boo. They don’t recognize that things are still existent when they don't see them. Many of us are like babies in our spiritual walk. We forget God is there if we aren't facing Him. We do things alone when we don't feel Him. We have the memory of a goldfish and can't go long without forgetting how mighty, kind, loving and powerful our king Jesus is. That’s why praise is important. Praise reminds you who He is and therefore who you are. Praise reminds you what He does and memory of that will remind you what you have as a result. Many of your identity issues, fears, doubts, insecurities and triumphs are still present because you haven’t lined them up with your God. They’re big in comparison to you but dainty in comparison to God. I just saw a picture of Kevin Durant, an NBA Star listed at 6’10 guarding 7' 4 Victor Wembanyama. While Kevin is bigger than over 90% of the world, he seemed like nothing when you lined him up with how big Wemby is. Your problems only look big when you line them up to you. They’ll look small when you line them up to God. That’s the perspective that praise gives us.
In just one (or 3) paragraph(s) I want to point out another thing we can see from this verse that honestly should be its own sermon series. The verse may sound familiar and that's because this is the song Jesus was singing when He was dying on the cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Yes, It’s insane that this guy Jesus was quoting church songs while being put to death, but it pushes my point even further. Jesus is in one of the most challenging times of His life. Rusty stakes have been thrusted through the arteries and tendons in His wrist as He tries to pull Himself up by the bone to breathe. Cool air causes the whip gashes to sting as the elements irritate His naked and exposed body.
A mix of sweat, blood and spit marinate across His body as flies land on the splinter infested wounds on His back. The weight of the world Is on His shoulders as loved ones betray Him and the very people He grew up with hurl insults. This is more gruesome than words can express. I can't imagine the agony. But in Jesus’ most tested time, He decided to sing. This is like having your back to the wall with a firing squad ready to take you out and you begin singing “you made away. When my back was against the wall. And it looked as if it was over.” I believe that as He sang that church song and put His focus on His father, the things of earth started to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. I believe the agony of the cross became more bearable when He compared it to the glory that would be revealed in Him later.
And this is what I want you to do. In your worst moments, remind yourself of the God you serve. Get on your knees and sing out to Him. Be honest about your feelings. Be honest about your hurts. And allow your honesty with the father to be the prerequisite to you finding rest with Him. Have a song in your heart like a drug addict carries Narcan. And whenever life gets blurry, I want you to have an auto focus on Jesus. When you feel alone, abandoned and left for dead, remember who He is and what He did before. Remind yourself who He is even when you can't sense Him. Remind yourself of what He did even when it's been years. Praise needs to be our daily portion. Praise must be our first reaction and first response. Praise is what will change your worldview and experience. You are missing out if you don't praise. I can tell who doesn’t praise by who is the most hopeless. I can tell who hasn’t considered Jesus by who is the most overcome with fear. The sun has been there but you aren't feeling the warmth because you aren't turning around. All “repent” means is to turn. If you want to see God enthroned, repent and turn to the Son.
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