Praising With the Night Shift

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My daughter is a nurse and she’s on the night shift. Like every good daddy I worry a bit because the graveyard shift wears you out and complicates your lifestyle.

Actually, night shift isn’t something new. I found the graveyard crew at work when I read Psalm 134. These praisers stayed up all night in the house of God to worship the King of kings. Praises rose up from that place 24 hours out of 24 when the night crew did its job.

I admire them because I must admit: after midnight I’m toast. God commands the night shift to praise Him.

“Come, bless God, all you servants of God!

You priests of God, posted to the nightwatch in God’s shrine, Lift your praising hands to the Holy Place,  and bless God.

(Psalm 134: 1, 2 The Message)

If I say, “Praise Me!” ?

Once I swept my wife into my romantic arms and asked, “Do you love me because I’m so handsome, or because I’m so intelligent, or because I’m so rich?”

She paused as if waiting for another choice, then said, “I just love you.” Kind of deflates your ego when you’re fishing for a compliment, huh? Continue reading

Break Out of Your Prison of Feelings

The prisoner sat slumped on the side of his bed in a corner of his cell. I say cell, but no one else saw any bars. They were there, though.

Many times he awoke and thought the hated walls had collapsed. He would jump to his feet and try to run only to crash once again against a wall of … of … something, falling back to the floor in despair. Then he saw him most clearly—the jailer–huge, hideous, grinning viciously at his desperate efforts.

Someone had to come with the key because he couldn’t get out on his own.

Prison of Praiselessness

That’s the way David felt in Psalms 142, “Set me free from my prison that I may praise your name.” (v. 7, NIV).
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