7I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.8I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
There's a great and beneficial challenge to us each day - to keep the Lord before us. I believe that involves placing the Word of God before our eyes as well as in our hearts. It also involves living in a state of worship to Him, with our minds fixed upon Him, thinking about and perhaps even verbalizing about who He is and what He means to us. It could mean saying a passage of Scripture out loud or even entering in to God's presence in song. If we set the Lord before us, He will keep us secure and He will make our hearts glad because we have encountered Him. How we need the presence of Christ!
Can our praises set us free? I think so...look at the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16, as they sang in the midnight hour - in prison:
25But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.26Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.27And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.28But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."29Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.30And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"31So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Paul and Silas experienced a physical release from captivity as the result of their praises.
So did a 9-year-old boy in Atlanta recently, whose love of gospel music, according to 11Alive.com, may have saved his life.
But Willie's actions during those terrifying three hours are inspiring people around the country. Willie says he sang the gospel song "Every Praise," which was recorded by Hezekiah Walker, until the man let him go.
Thursday evening, community leaders held a meeting in Willie's honor, celebrating his happy ending, but also telling other parents and children what to do if this happens to them.
In front of a crowded sanctuary at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Willie recounted the moment he was freed from the car. Willie said while he was singing, the man kept cursing and telling him to shut up before eventually kicking him out. Willie said that, ""He opened the door and threw me out...He told me not to tell anyone."
Willie certainly did not follow that instruction, he didn't keep it to himself - his story traveled fast and soon caught the ear of Walker, who is a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer.
Walker said, "It's just emotional to me because you never know who you're going to touch." When he heard the story, Walker made the decision to fly from New York City to Atlanta to meet Willie. He said, "I just wanted to hug him and tell him I love him."
Last week, the singer entered the sanctuary of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church to a standing ovation, grabbing Willie into a tight hug as tears streamed down the boy's face. Walker then led the church, and Willie, in singing "Every Praise," the song that may have saved the boy's life.
My goodness, what a horrific story, when you consider this young boy being driven around by a total stranger - but he kept singing. He just kept singing...
Walker said, "It's just emotional to me because you never know who you're going to touch." When he heard the story, Walker made the decision to fly from New York City to Atlanta to meet Willie. He said, "I just wanted to hug him and tell him I love him."
Last week, the singer entered the sanctuary of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church to a standing ovation, grabbing Willie into a tight hug as tears streamed down the boy's face. Walker then led the church, and Willie, in singing "Every Praise," the song that may have saved the boy's life.
My goodness, what a horrific story, when you consider this young boy being driven around by a total stranger - but he kept singing. He just kept singing...
God has ordained for us a powerful resource in good times and in bad - He desires for us to acknowledge His presence and worship Him. Paul and Silas, as well as Willie, experienced a physical release, and I think their stories can help us to focus on God in adversity. More often than not, we are not facing physical restraint, but we may need a lift of the soul. Life will bring us a variety of emotional and spiritual forces that can weigh us down and hold us captive, but if we praise God and enter into His presence in worship, we can break free from what holds us down and restrains us.
In times of trouble, we recognize that God is an ever-present help. And, we can be challenged to make prayer and/or praise the first thing we turn to, rather than a last resort. We must reject the attitude that we will try to solve our problems first, and then turn to God. He is more than just a safety valve - He desires to show Himself faithful, that He may be glorified.
One further word - I do want to commend Hezekiah Walker for travelling to Atlanta to meet Willie and stand with him. He said, "you never know who you're going to touch." That is so true about the things of God - if we are faithful and obedient to the Lord, perhaps He will use what we surrender to Him to touch the life of someone else. In this case, it was the outgrowth of a creative talent; for you, it may be an encouraging word, or an act of service, or some other action - when we are in a position of being in proper alignment with Christ, we can be confident that He will work through us.
By the way, Hezekiah Walker recorded a video in Birmingham last year for the song, "Every Praise." It was filmed in Five Points South and featured a flash mob - it's certainly a jubilant celebration of worship to Him:
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