“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;
With my mouth will I make known…
Your faithfulness to all generations.
And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness, they are exalted.” [1]
“Since sin is the absence of praise, then salvation is the restoration of praise. Since sin is everything that violates communion, salvation is the restoration of communion.
Not only relationship with God is set aright through adoration but also potentially our relationships with each other, past, present, and future. When the assembly raises its voice to give honor, glory, and thanksgiving to God, we discover the strongest of objective bonds with others: the link through the reality of God.
Praising God unites us with other worshipers throughout the world.
Worship happens in assemblies of people. People who might not otherwise agree with each other or even like each other can be genuinely united with each other in praise of God. In union with one another, our eyes are not turned toward each other but toward the God in whom we together confess our faith.” [2]
[1] Psalm 89:1, 5-7, 15-16
[2] LaCugna, Catherine Mowry, God For Us ~ The Trinity & Christian Life, Harper Collins Publishers, © 1973, pp. 298, 343
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