God Dwells in the Praises of His PeopleExpressions of love, adoration, praise, jubilation, intercess

God Dwells in the Praises of His PeopleExpressions of love, adoration, praise, jubilation, intercession, petition – all the dynamics of prayer are interlocked with worship – come forth from one’s heart. In the engagement phase we praise God for who He is through music as well as prayer. An individual may have moments like these in his or her private worship at home, but when the church comes together the manifest presence of God is magnified & multiplied.As we move further in the engagement phase, we move more & more into loving & intimate language. Being in God’s presence excites our heart & minds & we want to praise Him for the deeds He has done, for how He has moved in history, for His character & attributes. Jubilation is that heart swell within us in which we want to exalt Him. The heart of worship is to be united with our Creator & with the church universal & historic. Remember, worship is going on all the time in heaven & when we worship we are joining that which is already happening, what has been called the communion of saints. Thus there is a powerful corporate dynamic.Often this intimacy causes us to meditate, even as we are singing, on our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes we recall vows we have made before our God. God might call to our mind any disharmony or failure in our life, thus confession of sin is involved. Tears may flow as we see our disharmony but His harmony; our limitations but His unlimited possibilities. This phase in which we have been wakened to His presence is called expression.Expression then moves to a zenith, a climatic point, not unlike physical lovemaking (doesn’t Solomon use the same analogy in the Song of Songs?). We have expressed what is in our hearts & minds & bodies & now it is time to wait for God to respond. Stop talking & wait for Him to speak, to move. I call this, the fourth phase, visitation–The almighty God visits His people.This visitation is a by product of worship. We don’t worship in order to gain His presence. He is worthy to be worshipped whether or not He visits us. But God ‘dwells in the praises of His people’. So we should always come to worship prepared for an audience with the King. And we should expect the Spirit of God to work among us. He moves in different ways- sometimes for salvation, sometimes for deliverances, sometimes for sanctification or healings. God also visits us through the prophetic gifts.–John Wimber / Why We WorshipPsalm 103Let all that I am praise the Lord;with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.Let all that I am praise the Lord;may I never forget the good things He does for me.He forgives all my sins & heals all my diseases.He redeems me from death & crowns me with love & tender mercies.He fills my life with good things.My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!The Lord gives righteousness & justice to all who are treated unfairly.He revealed His character to Moses & His deeds to the people of Israel.The Lord is compassionate & merciful,slow to get angry & filled with unfailing love.He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.He does not punish us for all our sins;He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.For His unfailing love toward those who fear Himis as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.He has removed our sins as far from usas the east is from the west.The Lord is like a Father to His children,tender & compassionate to those who fear Him.For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.The wind blows & we are gone—as though we had never been here.But the love of the Lord remains foreverwith those who fear Him.His salvation extends to the children’s childrenof those who are faithful to His covenant,of those who obey His commandments!The Lord has made the heavens His throne;from there He rules over everything.Praise the Lord, you angels,you mighty ones who carry out His plans,listening for each of His commands.Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angelswho serve Him & do His will!Praise the Lord, everything He has created,everything in all his kingdom.Let all that I am praise the Lord. -- source link

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