The Rehersal

"Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song." Psalm 145, (Charles Spurgeon)

“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! And I'll bless your name into eternity. 2 I'll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. 3 God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. 4 Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. 5 Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. 6 Your marvelous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

7 The fame of your goodness spreads across the country; your righteousness is on everyone's lips. 8 God is all mercy and grace - not quick to anger, is rich in love. 9 God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace. 10 Creation and creatures applaud you, God; 11 your holy people bless you. They talk about the glories of your rule, they exclaim over your splendor, 12 Letting the world know of your power for good, the lavish splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal; you never get voted out of office. God always does what he says, and is gracious in everything he does.

 14 God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit. 15 All eyes are on you, expectant; you give them their meals on time. 16 Generous to a fault, you lavish your favor on all creatures. 17 Everything God does is right - the trademark on all his works is love. 18 God's there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. 19 He does what's best for those who fear him - hears them call out, and saves them. 20 God sticks by all who love him, but it's all over for those who don't. 21 My mouth is filled with God's praise. Let everything living bless him, bless his holy name from now to eternity!” (Psalm 145, Msg)

Let’s break this Psalm (145:14—145:20) up for the sake of clarity and encouragement for all.

“Sometimes our burdens seem more than we can bear, and we wonder how we can go on. David stands at this bleak intersection of life’s road and meditates on the Lord, the great burden bearer. God is able to lift us up because (1) His greatness is beyond discovery (145:3); (2) He does mighty acts for each generation (145:4); (3) He is full of majestic, glorious splendor (145:5); (4) He does awe-inspiring deeds (145:5,6); (5) He is righteous (145:7); (6) He is kind, merciful, patient, loving, and compassionate (145:8, 9); (7) He rules over an everlasting Kingdom (145:13,); (8) He is our source of all our daily needs 145:15,16) (9) He is righteous and kind in all His dealings (145: 17); (10) He remains close to those who call on Him (145: 18); (11) He hears our cries and rescues us (145: 19, 20);  if you are bending under a burden and feel that you are about to fall, turn to God for help. He is ready to lift you (us) up and bear your (our) burden.

This is what revival and visitation look like: people filled with the presence and power of Jesus! –The Days of His Presence (Francis Frangipane)

Why should we build a House of Prayer; and a place of visitation and habitation? “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18 NIV)

18 to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I'm sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.' (Acts 26:18, Msg.)

This is what the Body of Christ looks and acts like! We are loving, patient, burden bearing, kind and generous to a fault, full of mercy (forgiveness), and grace abounding!!! What more needs to be said? Ron Ross