GIVE THE LORD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME
As Jesus descended the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, the crowd began to praise God, welcoming Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. Therefore, some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus to rebuke them. However, Jesus knew that their praise was ordained by God and foretold by His prophets. Therefore Jesus refused to rebuke them saying, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
You see God had ordained praise for His Son that day even before the foundation of the earth. And praise would be offered even if the stones had to be brought to life to do it! This was more than hyperbole, for God’s creation was fashioned to praise the Lord. It is only the fallen inhabitants of what C.S. Lewis called the “Silent Planet” that no longer offer God the praise due His name.
God told Job that even the stars sing (Job 38:7). And now NASA has confirmed this with a technique called asteroseismology. A NASA scientist has written, “We can’t hear it with our ears, but the stars in the sky are performing a concert, one that never stops. The biggest stars make the lowest, deepest sounds, like tubas and double basses. Small stars have high-pitched voices, like celestial flutes.”
Isaiah declared that the “mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isa. 55:12).
Meditating on the way that creation offers praise to God, the Spirit inspired David to call believers to join in worship, writing, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Psa. 29:2).
Shall we allow a star or a stone to offer praise, while we remain silent? Heaven forbid! Let us join the heavenly symphony of praise today, shall we?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we praise Your holy name. For You are worthy. Forgive us our sinful silence. Strengthen us to sing Your praises regardless of circumstance. For you have ordained praise throughout the universe, but for us You have allowed free will to choose. We choose to praise You. In Jesus’ name, amen.