Inhabited Praise

Hanging on the cross, Jesus chose as His last words, the words of the Psalmist David, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Ps. 22:1). David would continue writing, "Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent" (22:1-2).

As the cliche goes, "separation makes the heart grow fonder." It boggles the mind to think of God being "separated" from Himself. That the Father could even "forsake" His Son is difficult for us to conceive. Yet for me, there are times when I feel quite removed from God though I am saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:8).

When feeling distance from the Creator, it is not unreasonable to lament it. Though we may still reside in His grace, it is possible for us to feel a "distance" from His presence. To share our distance with a spiritually-minded friend who may understand what we mean by the term "distance" is an appropriate response when we feel far away. Or we may prefer to seclude and salve our distance in quiet and solitude. But these will rarely draw us immediately back into the presence of the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.

When distance is felt, the most natural and meaningful response is to simply praise the One for whom we long to be near. David's psalm continues, "Yet, you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed" (22:3-5).

Enthroned in holiness, we who are not holy by nature, cannot simply storm the gates of heaven and expect an audience with the Holy One. By His grace, extended through the sacrifice of Christ, we enter in the context of praise. Effectively, the Lord inhabits praise and in praise I find a sense of His presence unparalleled in any other experience.

To offer praise is to perhaps speak the purest words we can find. There is no guile, no shadows of presumption, but merely the recognition and pronouncement of His glory and majesty.

When the Lord inhabits our praise, we are perhaps closer than we will ever be in this fleshly existence.

Surrender any "distance" you may feel today and allow the Lord to inhabit your praise.