Today I will continue with “Faith and Patience Volume 5 – Greater is Coming!” Yesterday we saw how that when Uzzah died when he touched the Ark of the Covenant, David stopped the caravan and chose to place the Ark in the home of Obed-Edom of Gath, which was nearby. The Ark housed the presence of the Lord and the Blessing of the Lord is always tied to His presence. Therefore, during the three months that Obed-Edom had the Ark in his home, the Bible says, “The LORD blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.” When King David was told, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” he decided to send another team to get the Ark. It was like, in David’ mind, the Ark was the final piece in a large puzzle. Once he had the Ark of God in the City of David, he would be at peace in his heart.
David sent a second team. This time they retrieved the Ark safely. David made sure that the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant in the City was met with great fanfare. The King put on a grand celebration. When the Ark arrived in the city, David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment (an ephod). David had worn the ephod before when he needed to hear from God, but this time he was wearing it to thank God for allowing him to bring His presence into the city. The people joined in. They danced, shouted for joy, and blew rams’ horns as a form of praise to God. While the celebration was going on in the streets, Michal, the wife of David and daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, the Bible says, “She was filled with contempt for her husband.”
The carrier of the Ark set it inside a special tent David had prepared for it. David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Although David was a king, he also operated under the same grace as a priest; which is why he often wore the ephod and sought the Lord directly. In this case, David used his priestly anointing to bless the people. This was not something a king would normally do. But David was no normal king. It is clear to me that David was anointed to be both king and priest. Many scholars believe he was also anointed to be a prophet, making him a prophet, priest, and king, like Jesus. Whatever the case, it is clear that David was open to whatever God wanted him to do, and he was not ashamed to walk in his calling. We can all learn from this.
When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” David responded, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD, so I celebrate before the LORD. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” After this incident, Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. How are you supposed to respond when you finally receive what God said?
— This series is about faith and patience. It is about holding on long enough to see what God said come to pass. But what are you supposed to do when it finally happens? The answer is simple. We teach our children to say, “Please” and “Thank you.” It’s the same with God. We came to God in prayer with a “Please,” and when He finally does it, we should respond with a “Thank you!”
— David thought about all he had been through to get to where he was, and all he could do was PRAISE GOD!
— I have been teaching you to remain steadfast, patient, consistent, and focused, so you can see the manifestation of every promise. But along the way, as God performs things in your life, don’t forget to GIVE HIM PRAISE!
— When you PRAISE GOD, you are acknowledging that the blessing came from Him!
— When you PRAISE GOD in a public way, you are openly acknowledging that you are NOT a self-made man or woman. You are God-made!
— So when you finally receive what you have been waiting for, don’t forget to PRAISE GOD!
2. We, as the creation, are supposed to respond to our Creator!
— When you are in the manifest presence of God, and you realize it, your proper response is WORSHIP! Isaiah is a good example of this. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and he realized that God’s train was filling the temple, and his presence was all around, he fell down and worshipped the Lord. He felt small in God’s presence.
— While the proper response to God’s presence is always WORSHIP, the proper response to God fulfilling His promises in your life is PRAISE!
— When you PRAISE GOD, you are openly giving Him thanks for what He has done in your life.
— As God’s creation, you should take self-inventory from time to time. Think about the goodness of God towards you. And when you do, the right thing to do is PRAISE HIM for it!
— Praise and worship are required of all men, regardless of rank, position, or stature. You will never be high enough to where you are not required to praise and worship our Lord. David praised God as a king, and He did so without reservation!
3. Never allow the considerations of others to stifle your praise.
— When David praised God in public, wearing an ephod, without reservation, his wife Michale criticized him for it. But I love his response. He basically said, “Woman, you don’t know what I’ve been through. I was not supposed to be here. God chose me over your father and your brother. I was a nobody, and He made me a king. And now, I have God’s presence in a city with my name on it. So YES, I will give God praise! And since God blessed me in a public way, I will praise Him public, without any shame. And if you thought today was bad, I promise you; I will get even MORE UNDIGNIFIED than this! I am going to take my praise to another level because God has been so good to me!” (2 Samuel 6:20-22, Rick Piña Version).
— The Lord takes pleasure in unashamed praise. Never allow your concern for what others will think to stifle your praise.
— If you are willing to look foolish in praise, the Lord will make sure you don’t look foolish in life!
— Here are two reasons why you should never criticize anyone for the level of their praise:
a) The praise is not for you! It’s for God. So if the praise is high or low in your eyes, it does not matter because you are not the target of the praise, and you cannot see into their heart.
b) You don’t know what they have been through. When people praise, they are releasing all they have been through their soul, in pure adoration and thanksgiving towards their God. You are not part of the equation and you should stay out of it.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I establish an atmosphere of praise and worship in my home, and it becomes a place where You tabernacle. You rest in my home. You take up residence here. This way it becomes a refuge for my family and me. When we get home, we are able to walk into Your presence and enjoy Your peace. We praise You at church, but we also praise You at home. We praise You unashamedly every day and in every day. As for me and my house, we shall Praise the Lord! We enter each day with thanksgiving on our lips, a song in our heart, a smile on our face, and a spring in our step. We never allow the consideration of what others might think to stifle our praise. We praise You openly, unashamedly, and vehemently. You have been far too good for us not to give You praise. I praise You, my spouse praises You, and my children praise You. We praise You in the presence of others, and we praise You when we are all alone. We praise, we worship, we honor, we magnify, and we glorify Your name. We are convinced that GREATER IS COMING FOR US! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
