Jesusluvsall's Blog

In the play Peter Pan, the fairy Tinkerbell was dying because she drank a poisoned drink meant for Peter. She tells Peter if the children believed in fairies she could get better. Peter tells the boys to clap if they believed in fairies.They clap and Tinkerbell recovers.

Why am I writing about Tinkerbell? To draw a contrast.

Throughout the bible we are instructed to Praise God, to express our gratitude to God, to worship God, clap our hands, raise our hands etc.

Why?

God created the heavens and the earth. He created all of the stars we see in the sky, all living things on earth, and us. God defeated death for us through the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus has all power, God has all power. If God wants something, he can simply make it happen. God does not need our praise, our worship, our gratitude. God does not need us to clap our hands for him.

The reason we praise him, worship him. thank him, clap and raise our hands to him. is because WE need it. When we praise God, it helps us to remember how great he is. When we thank God, we remember what he has done for us. We need to praise him and thank him because we are living in a fallen world full of difficulties. When we praise God and worship him, it focuses our attention on the one who can help us. Praising God and worshiping God strengthens us in our faith, it does strengthen God. God does not need to be strengthened.

In Isaiah 61 we read:

“and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor”

Hannah is a blogger I follow. Her blog is Grace to be Imperfect at gracetobeimperfect.com She has shared about her struggles with anxiety. She shared a wonderful post yesterday – The Power of Remembrance. It is a wonderful post to read and be encouraged by. In the post she shares about what helps her overcome anxiety.

God calls us to worship, praise, and gratitude for our benefit. He is not egotistical like people tend to be. He knows that we need worship, praise, and gratitude to help us stay connected to him.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.