As worship leaders, we always tell people in the congregation that there’s a difference between praise and worship. That you thank God for what He’s done, and worship Him for who He is. It’s an easy way to get the congregation to move in a certain ‘flow’. But I dare to say that praise… goes beyond giving thanks for what He’s done. In fact, the word “praise” in the Bible was never only used as a response to what God has done for His people.
I heard someone say that “if God doesn’t do another thing in my life, He’s already done enough”. It got me thinking… Well what if God just doesn’t ‘do’. Would we still praise Him?
And so I see a pattern among us these days that we’re grateful to God, because He has done something. That’s all good. But what about when it seems as if He’s not doing anything. Like, what do you do when it seems like God took a vacation from blessing you at the time that you think you need it most? The enemy will use that very opportunity to tell you that if God hasn’t done anything, we don’t need to thank Him.
For me, giving God thanks, has to be more than just for something. Yes, I’ve spent 16 days giving God thanks for things He has done or will do… But I want to take my ‘gratitude walk’ a little deeper. So today, I want to give God thanks…Just because He’s God.
Late one night during last week, I emailed a couple of people just to say thank you… I am sure to them, the emails didn’t make any sense because they hadn’t been in my life for a while… But to me… it did. I just wanted to say “thank you for being you”. Because if they were not themselves, they would never have impacted me the way they did. And I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.
I want to tell God thanks…just because He’s God… He’s silent sometimes… and I don’t get that…especially when I need answers on my time. Sometimes He chastens me because He loves me… and I don’t get that, but I feel it. Sometimes He’ll delay things…because it’s not the right time to give it to me… But at the end of the day… It all works out for my good.
See, if He wasn’t God…Silent God, Sovereign God, “On time” God, Strict God… I would never be the woman that I am today. His silence makes me want to listen more closely. His Sovereignty brings me to a place of humilty, recognizing that He can do as He pleases, His ‘punctuality’ makes me patient, His strictness makes me walk upright. All in all, His personality makes me want to draw closer and closer to Him.
So no, if He was anything else, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. But thank God He is who I need Him to be.
God, thank You..for being You. I praise you… because if You weren’t you , I wouldn’t be half the person I am today.
(lol, See? I can write short blogs too 
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