Praise God

"Believers should praise God for what He is in Himself. Those that have never seen the Lord cannot praise Him. Those who have not come to Christ have never seen the King in His beauty. An unconverted man sees no loveliness in God. He sees a beauty in the blue sky- in the glorious sun- in the green earth- in the sparkling stars- in the lily of the field; but he sees no beauty in God. He has not seen Him, neither known Him; therefore there is no melody of praise in that heart. When a sinner is brought to Christ, he is brought to the Father. Jesus gave Himself for us, "that He might bring us to God." Oh! What a sight breaks in upon the soul- the infinite, eternal, unchangeable God...Oh! Praise Him then for what He is. Praise Him for His pure, lovely holiness...Praise Him for His infinite wisdom that He knows the end from the beginning. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Praise Him for His power- that all matter, all mind, is in His Hand."

Robert Murray M'Cheyne

As I read this, it made me think, "Do I praise God 'for what He is'?" Too often, I don't. It's easy to praise God for the beauty He has created in the world around us, but it's not always so easy to praise God simply 'for what He is'. To be truthful, I don't usually give much consideration to God's holiness or wisdom. But I should. I really like what Michael Billings had to say about this-

"Did you notice that the seraphim don't just say that God is 'Holy'? Nor are they content to say that God is 'Holy, Holy.' But the heavenly song that celebrates the character of God declares that He is 'Holy, Holy, Holy'- the superlative degree. Nowhere else in Scripture is any other attribute elevated to the third degree. The Bible does not say that GOd is 'Love, Love, Love'; or 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy'; or 'Justice, Justice, Justice'; but that He is 'Holy, Holy, Holy'. This is a dimension of God that consumes His very essence."

WOW!