Ps 34:1-3

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in

my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear

thereof, and be glad.

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

(KJV)

PRESCRIPTION FOR A PRAISE

YOU AND I ARE AWARE THAT THE PRAISE OF GOD

IN DAVID'S VIEW MUST BE A CONTINUOUS

REALITY. AND THAT'S WHY DAVID

UNDERSCORES THE EXPERIENCE OF HIS LIFE

WITH THE WORD'S, "I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT

ALL TIMES AND HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY

BE IN MY MOUTH. DAVID INSIST, THAT IN SPITE

OR DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS OF

HIS LIFE, HIS EXPERIENCE OF GOD HAS GIVEN HIM

SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT. WHEN THE WORDS

OF THIS TEXT WERE WRITTEN, NO DOUDT, DAVID

WAS FEELING UNKEPT, HIS CLOTHING IS SOILED

FROM HIS JOURNEY AND HIS ARMOUR IS DENTED

AND DAMAGED FROM THE RIGORS OF THE

BATTLE AND YET IN SPITE OF ALL OF THAT,

DAVID DOES SOME BRAGGING. DAVID SAYS, MY

SOUL SHALL MAKE HER BOAST IN THE LORD.

AND IF THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH DAVID

DRAMATIZES THIS PARABLE OF PRAISE WHEN HE

REALIZES THAT SOMEBODY ELSE GAINS THE

BENEFIT FROM HIS SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.

SOMEBODY IS DRAWN CLOSER TO THE LORD

BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DOES AND WHAT HE SAYS

AND THAT SOMEBODY ELSE GAINS SPIRITUAL

BENEFIT BY BEING IN THE SAME PLACE SO LONG

THAT THEY GAIN A CONTACT HIGH. AND THAT'S

THE REASON FOR THE PRAISE. DAVID SAYS, "I

WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES HIS PRAISE

SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH MY SOUL

SHALL MAKE HER BOAST IN THE LORD, THE

HUMBLE SHALL HEAR THEREOF, AND BE GLAD.

WHEN HOWEVER DAVID HAS CONCLUDED HIS

PREAMBLE OF PRAISE, HE ADDS AS IT WERE AN

EXCLAMATION POINT. DAVID SAYS, OH MAGNIFY

THE LORD WITH ME AND LET US EXALT HIS NAME

TOGETHER. NOW MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

THE MORE I LOOK AT IT THE MORE IT APPEARS

THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE EXAMINATION OF THE

TEXT, THAT DAVID IS NOT ONLY TRYING TO

SHOW US THE WHY OF PRAISE BUT HE'S TRYING

TO SHOW US THE HOW OF PRAISE. IT'S NOT TOO

HARD TO UNDERSTAND, DAVID IS SIMPLY SAYING

THAT PRAISE IS DESIGNED TO MAGNIFY AND NOT

TO MINIMIZE. IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THOSE FIRST

WORDS, OH MAGNIFY. NOW IT'S HARD FOR ME TO

IMAGINE HOW ONE GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS

OF MAGNIFYING GOD.

THIS IS THE GOD THAT BREATHED WORLDS INTO

EXISTENCE AND CREATED THE UNIVERSE WITH

HIS WORD. HOW DO YOU MAGNIFY THAT?

THIS IS THE GOD THAT SAT THE SUN IN IT'S

SOCKET AND CROWNED THE MOON AS THE

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT. HOW DO YOU MAGNIFY

THAT?

THIS IS THE GOD THAT CREATED THE HEAVENS

WITH THE WORK OF HIS FINGERS AND SCOOPED

OUT THE VALLEYS WITH HIS FOOTSTEPS AND

MANUFACTURED MOUNTAINS WITH HIS WILL,

SPAT OUT THE SEVEN SEAS IN A MATTER OF

SECONDS OF TIME, THIS IS THE GOD THAT

TAUGHT RIVERS HOW TO RUN, TAUGHT BROOKS

HOW TO BABBLE AND PUT THE GREEN IN GRASS

AND THE WET IN WATER, TAUGHT TIME HOW TO

ROTATE FROM NIGHT TO DAY AND THEN FROM

DAY TO NIGHT. THIS IS THE GOD THAT ONE DAY

TOOK CLAY AND FORMED MAN IN HIS HAND

LOVED HIM INTO EXISTENCE AND GAVE HIM

C.P.R. ON THE BANKS OF TIME AND BLEW INTO

HIM THE BREATH OF LIFE, HOW DO YOU MAGNIFY

THAT?

WELL, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE I'VE

DISCOVERED THAT THE PROCESS OF

MAGNIFICATION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT

THAT IS MAGNIFIED. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE

ONE THAT PARTICIPATES IN THE MAGNIFICATION

PROCESS. I'VE DISCOVERED THAT WHATEVER I

LOOK AT THROUGH THE MAGNIFYING GLASS

DOES NOT CHANGE OR ALTER THE DIMENSIONS

OF THE OBJECT THAT IS BEING MAGNIFIED. I

DON'T CARE HOW LONG YOU LOOK AT

SOMETHING THROUGH A MAGNIFYING GLASS,

YOU CAN'T CHANGE WHAT IS. BECAUSE WHAT IS,

IS. WHAT CHANGES IS YOUR PERCEPTION, WHAT

CHANGES IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING, WHAT

CHANGES IS YOUR APPRECIATION FOR THAT

THAT IS BEING MAGNIFIED. WHEN I MAGNIFY I

CAN SEE BETTER. WHEN I MAGNIFY I CAN

UNDERSTAND IT BETTER. WHEN I MAGNIFY I

HAVE A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR HOW IT DOES

WHAT IT DOES. AND THAT'S HOW IT IS WITH THE

LORD, WHEN I MAGNIFY THE LORD, I CAN'T

CHANGE THE LORD. I CAN'T MAKE GOD ANY

BIGGER THAN HE ALREADY IS. I CAN'T CHANGE

HIM BECAUSE THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT HE

CHANGES NOT. I CANNOT CHANGE HIM BECAUSE

THE BOOK OF HEBREWS SAYS HE'S THE SAME

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER. BUT WHAT

CHANGES IS HOW I VIEW HIM. WHAT CHANGES IS

MY PERCEPTION OF HIS PRIORITY IN MY LIFE.

WHAT CHANGES IS MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE

POWER THAT IS INHERENT IN HIM. WHAT

CHANGES IS WHAT I UNDERSTAND ABOUT HOW

THINGS HAPPEN IN MY LIFE. WHEN YOU

MAGNIFY THE LORD YOU WILL SOON COME TO

REALIZE THAT WHATEVER IT IS THAT HAPPENS IN

YOUR LIFE DOES NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF

CHANCE. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE

DOES NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU WERE IN THE

RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME OR BECAUSE

YOU HAVE DEGREES ON YOUR WALL THAT

SUBDUE THE LEVEL OF IGNORANCE YOU HAVE

ATTAINED. WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE DOES

NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU HAVE ANALYTICAL

POWERS TO BE ABLE TO PEER INTO THE FUTURE.

WHATEVER HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE DOES NOT

HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU CALL ON DION WARWICK

AND HER PSYCHIC FRIENDS, WHAT HAPPENS IN

YOUR LIFE DOES NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF BILL

CLINTON OR NEWT GINGRICH. WHATEVER

HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE DOES NOT HAPPEN

BECAUSE OF GOOD FORTUNE OR GOOD LUCK.

WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE HAPPENS BECAUSE

SOMEBODY IS IN CONTROL. WHATEVER HAPPENS

IN YOUR LIFE, HAPPENS BECAUSE THERE IS A

GOD. AND WHENEVER YOU MAGNIFY THE LORD

YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT WHATEVER ELSE YOU

MIGHT THINK, GOD DID IT. THE HOUSE THAT YOU

LIVE IN, GOD DID IT. THE APARTMENT THAT YOU

LIVE IN, GOD DID IT. THE CAR THAT YOU DRIVE,

GOD DID IT. THE JOB THAT YOU HAVE, GOD DID

IT. THE SALARY THAT YOU MAKE, GOD DID IT.

THE ACHIEVEMENT OR THE PROMOTIONS YOU

RECEIVED, GOD DID IT. THE SCHOLARSHIP YOU

RECEIVED, GOD DID IT. AND ALL THAT DAVID

WANTS YOU AND ME TO DO IS STOP LOOKING AT

GOD THROUGH HUMAN EYES. STOP LOOKING AT

GOD THROUGH HUMAN LENSES. STOP LOOKING

AT GOD THROUGH LENSES THAT MINIMIZE AND

MAKE GOD LESS THAN GOD. STOP LOOKING AT

GOD THROUGH LENSES THAT WON'T GIVE GOD

CREDIT FOR BEING GOD. ALL DAVID IS SAYING IS

THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK AT GOD ANOTHER

WAY. AND SO HE SAYS, OH MAGNIFY THE LORD

WITH ME AND LET US EXALT HIS NAME

TOGETHER.

NOW IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC

OF MY THOUGHTS HERE THIS MORNING. ALL I'M

TRYING TO TELL YOU IS THAT AUTHENTIC PRAISE

FINDS IT'S DEFINITION WHEN THERE IS PRAYING

POWER, WHEN THERE IS PREACHING POWER,

WHEN THERE IS SHOUTING POWER IN THE MIDST

OF A WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY.

SO NOT ONLY DOES DAVID INSIST THAT MY

PRASIE MUST MAGNIFY GOD, BUT HE INSIST AS

WELL THAT MY PRAISE IS A PRODUCT OF MY

PROBLEMS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I'M

NOT ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT IN MY LIFE I'VE

HAD SOME PROBLEMS, NOT ONLY THAT I'M NOT

ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT I'M HAVING SOME

PROBLEMS AND I MAY AS WELL GO AHEAD AND

ADMIT THE WHOLE THING AND THAT IS THAT I'VE

CONCLUDED THAT IN MY LIFE I'M GOING TO

HAVE SOME PROBLEMS. I WONDER IF THERE'S

ANYBODY ELSE HERE THAT KNOWS ANYTHING

ABOUT PROBLEMS. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT

I'VE FOUND OUT, I'VE FOUND OUT THAT YOU

DON'T HAVE TO ENLIST A SEARCH PARTY, TO

FIND PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS HAVE A WAY OF

FINDING YOU. AS SOON AS YOU GET RID OF ONE

PROBLEM, ANOTHER PROBLEM RISES UP OVER

THERE. DOES ANYBODY KNOW THAT IF IT AIN'T

ONE THING, IT'S ANOTHER. IF IT'S NOT YOUR

MONEY, THEN IT'S YOUR MARRIAGE. IF IT'S NOT

YOUR MARRIAGE THEN IT'S YOUR CHILDREN. IF

IT'S NOT YOUR CHILDREN ACTING A FOOL THEN

IT'S YOUR GRANDCHILDREN. IF IT'S NOT YOUR

JOB, THEN IT'S YOUR BOSS. IF IT'S NOT YOUR

FINANCES THEN IT'S YOUR HEALTH, IF IT'S NOT

THE USHERS THEN IT'S THE CHOIR. IF IT'S NOT

THE PREACHER THEN IT'S THE SECRETARY, IF

YOUR CAR IS RUNNING RIGHT THEN YOUR ROOF

SPRINGS A LEAK. IF YOU GET A LITTLE MONEY IN

YOUR POCKET, ANOTHER BILLS COMES DUE.

CAUSE IF IT AIN'T ONE THING THEN IT'S ANOTHER.

AND THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO TELL YOU

ABOUT PROBLEMS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T

UNDERSTAND DAVID OR HIS 34TH PSALMS UNTIL

YOU UNDERSTAND IT'S RELATIONSHIP TO

PROBLEMS. IF ANYBODY HAD PROBLEMS, DAVID

HAD SOME PROBLEMS. GOLIATH, SAUL, BEER

SHEBAH, URIAH, NATHAN, ABSALOM, TAMAR,

DAVID HAD ADULTERY IN HIS HOUSE, HE HAD

INCEST IN HIS HOUSE, HE HAD MURDER IN HIS

HOUSE, DAVID HAD SOME PROBLEMS. BUT EVEN

THOUGH DAVID HAD ONE PROBLEM AFTER

ANOTHER. THIS SAME DAVID STANDS ON THE

PLATFORM OF HISTORY AND DARES TO

PROCLAIM I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES

AND HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY

MOUTH. IN OTHER WORDS WHAT DAVID WAS

SAYING IS I'M GONNA BLESS THE LORD ANYHOW.

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, I'M GONNA BLESS

HIM ANYHOW. COME WHAT MAY, ANYHOW. NO

MATTER HOW DARK THE NIGHT, ANYHOW. IN

POVERTY OR IN PLENTY, ANYHOW. IF I'M

FORSAKEN OR FORGOTTEN, HE SAYS I WILL

BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES.

I FOUND OUT THAT YOUR PROBLEMS WILL DRAW

YOU CLOSER TO THE LORD. I FOUND OUT THAT IF

YOU KEEP THE LORD AT THE FOREFRONT OF

YOUR LIFE YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT YOUR

BURDENS WILL BECOME THE SOURCE OF YOUR

BLESSINGS. YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT YOUR

HEARTACHES WILL BECOME THE SOURCE OF

YOUR HALLELUJAHS. YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT

YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH DISGRACE IN ORDER

TO GET TO DIGNITY. YOUR GRIEF WILL LEAD

YOU TO GLORY. YOUR WEAKNESS WILL PROVIDE

YOU WITH STRENGTH. YOU WILL DISCOVER

THAT IN SADNESS, GOD WILL GIVE YOU JOY AND

THAT YOUR TRIALS WILL LEAD YOU TO TRIUMPH.

I DON'T HOW IT WORKS, BUT THE GOD THAT I

SERVE SPECIALIZES IN TAKING YOUR FEET OUT

OF MIRY CLAY. THE GOD THAT I SERVE

SPECIALIZES IN BEING A FRIEND TO THE

FRIENDLESS. THE GOD THAT I SERVE

SPECIALIZES IN BRINGING DOWN MOUNTAINS

AND LEVELING OUT VALLEYS. OH YES, HE IS A

WAYMAKER, HE IS A HEART FIXER AND A MIND

REGULATOR. HE IS A BURDEN BEARER AND A

HEAVY LOAD SHARER, HE IS A ROCK IN A WEARY

LAND, SHELTER IN THE TIME OF STORM, WATER

IN DRY PLACES, BREAD WHEN YOU GET HUNGRY,

HE IS A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER. AND

WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, HOW GOOD HE'S BEEN

WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, HOW HE KEPT ME AND

NEVER LEFT ME, WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT