As we grow in our walk with the Lord, we cannot help but offer praise to Him for all that He has done. Today’s Bible Journaling verse says, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3 ESV) The King James Version says, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” God INHABITS our praise; He lives in our praise!
If you are like my husband, and not in the least musically inclined, don’t worry, Psalm 100 tells us we are to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord…” (Psalm 100:1 KJV) I tease my husband that he doesn’t sing, he makes a joyful noise. Even though he has no clue as to pitch, notes, time signatures, etc. he sings his heart out, and I can see on his face the love he has for the Lord Jesus Christ. We both know that God is delighted in his “noise” as He is with the one who has had musical training and sings or plays everything perfectly. That joy comes from having an attitude of praise. It is part of my husband’s very being and comes from deep within.
When we offer praise and worship to God, the Bible says it comes to Him as a sweet, smelling fragrance. On the website, Just Worship, they describe it like this, “In 2 Corinthians 2:15 we find that believers (in the truest sense of the word), are a fragrance of Christ. Another way of saying it would be that we are a pleasant aroma of Christ. When we worship Him within a lifestyle that has become a place of abiding in Him we exude His fragrance.” That sweet fragrance is not only in our praise but also in the way we live our lives. The Just Worship website goes on to say, “In Philippians 4:14-23, Paul describes the way we live our lives before God as giving off a particular smell—the sweet aroma of an acceptable sacrifice.”
For me, praise is not only in music but also in my attitude. How do I approach trials that come my way? Now, I don’t mean that we should be jumping up and down with joy when we encounter struggles, but we need to think about how this trial has been placed before us to help us grow in Jesus and to receive it in a manner that shows God that we will praise Him no matter what we face. True, music is one of the best ways I can express my love and admiration for God. But if what I sing doesn’t match my attitude when I am in a trial, that sweet fragrance gets tainted.
So, how do we become that sweet-smelling fragrance? The Apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV) When we exhibit the characteristics of Christ, we become just like Him, presented before God, the Father, in an attitude of worship, as a fragrant perfume. Those characteristics are found in the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) When our lives exemplify those characteristics, Christ shines through, not only to those around us but to God also. That fragrance can sometimes come through physically. I remember a time when immediately after a Chapel time at the Christian TV station I worked for, as we were going to our offices, I sat down at my desk, and a sweet, pleasant odor, permeated the air. I asked my co-worker if he could smell that, and he said no. When I described the smell, he said it reminded him of the fragrance of worship and praise that was filling the air after such a powerful time in Chapel. I never experienced that before, and it stayed with me the rest of the day.
Praise and worship are pivotal in the life of a Believer. It not only encourages others, but it also reminds us of what God has done for us, and that attitude stays right with us. I encourage you to be in that attitude of praise, whether in the form of music or in how you live. God will be given the glory, and He will receive your praise and worship as a sweet, smelling offering.
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