Begin with a Hallelujah

Scripture:
All this happened
so that they might keep his statutes
and obey his instructions.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 105:45

Observation: The psalmist has been recapping all the great things the Lord did for Israel in order to bring them out of Egypt. List among the blessings are ... he gave them riches to take with them, he fed them with quail and manna daily, he made water come out of barren rocks for them, he guided them with a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, and he gave them the lands of multiple entire nations to live in. In summary, the Lord gave them a wonderful home, massive land holdings, all the sustenance they could want, earthly wealth, and the comfort of knowing that the very creator of the universe was actually directing their very path every day.

And what does such a Lord expect in return? Only obedience to his loving guidance. Praise the Lord!

Application: The Lord blesses me so that I will obey him. This isn't a manipulative test ... this isn't about some give-and-take deal where God is saying "if I do this favor for you, you will do these things for me". This is about the Lord loving me so greatly that my logical response would be to know he has my best interest at heart, and to therefore do what he asks of me because I trust him.

And yet I don't. None of us do. Just like Israel, I am obedient in the short term, then fall to temptation, do things opposed to the Lord's directions, and think some ritualistic act will fulfill the basic instructions.

I know I'm a flawed human. I know satan is out to get me. I know I'll make mistakes. But I'm so tired of failing. I receive so very, very much from the Lord - blessings literally innumerable and unquantifiable by any measure! - and yet I fail to just obey his instructions.

So let's begin here ... Hallelujah! More and more, may I actively praise the Lord!! May I sing a song to his glory and honor, declaring his wonder, and aligning my heart to his splendor. My actions can be better, though they will fall short from time to time, but I can always praise the Lord. With my heart and my soul, I will raise him up.

Prayer: Lord, I do this now. Hallelujah to you, my Lord and my God. Amen.