praying effectively: Sing Praises When We Meet Together (Ps.149-150)

(Psalm 149:1-9)

 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with dancing; let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

5 Let the godly ones exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To execute on them the judgment written; this is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the Lord!

(Psalm 150:1-6)

Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse.
2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:
- that we praise the Lord (149:1, 9, 150:1, 6)
- that we praise the Lord wherever we go (150:1)
- that we praise God when we are meeting together (150:1)
- that we sing praises to the Lord in the congregation (149:1)
- that we praise the Lord for His mighty deeds and excellent greatness (150:2)
- that we praise the Lord through dance, music and songs of various styles (150:3-5)
- that we sing a new song to the Lord (149:1)

Today's prayer:

Again, we thank You, Lord Jesus for giving us songs of praise to sing.  May we not neglect gathering together to worship, praise and sing to You, because You deserve our total devotion.  Help Your children see the importance of going to church on a regular basis, and not just arriving late to hear the sermon, but see the importance of singing praises to You as well.  Help us to be continually praising You, because You take pleasure in Your children and You beautify and bless us as a result.  Thank You for all that You do for us!  Amen!