I am still regaining my footing after reading 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper. For those of you who have read my initial reflection on this book, you’ll recall that the word “praise” or the phrase “praise God” became speed bumps in my reading. I am regularly slowed down during my Bible readings when I come upon the phrase, “praise God.” I read the book two months ago, and I am STILL awed by the importance of praising God.
In the book The 5 Love Languages, the author, Gary Chapman, articulates the five main ways we express love to another individual: 1) Words of Affirmation, 2) Quality Time, 3) Receiving Gifts, 4) Acts of Service, and 5) Physical Touch. Most of us can read this list and know without much thought which one is the most meaningful to us. I enjoy spending quality time with those I love, as well as receiving gifts, receiving help from others on an unsolicited basis, and hugs. Those are all very nice and certainly not to be discounted, but the love language I find most powerful is words of affirmation.
I have come to believe that praise is God’s love language. We can spend quality time with Him, do acts of service in His name, give a smile or a hug to someone who just needs one, and give gifts to others just to bless them with the love of Christ. God sees everything that we are doing and saying in His name and is pleased by those expressions of His love. But when you get right down to it, we can’t touch God, and there is nothing we can offer others without His power and His resources. So what does that leave us that we can truly give Him? I think the answer is our heart expressed through affirmations, or praise. I think He feels deeply loved by us when we just spend time expressing our love, letting Him know how much we really adore Him.
Acts 17:24-25 says, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else”. (I invite you to re-read this verse and put your name in it. It becomes even more powerful.) Doesn’t this passage say it all? He doesn’t really “need” me or my services. So what is left is recognizing that we exist because He wants to enjoy us and for us to enjoy the personal love relationship He offers to each of us. The only thing I can really offer is what He really wants – praise, or words of affirmation. I want to love God the way He wants to be loved. I will be intentional to praise Him because that’s what He desires.
I am made in His image. Is it any surprise that what He wants from me is the same thing I really want from others? These last two months of praising God intentionally has been a wonderful growing experience for me. Since I believe praise is God’s love language, I am more intentional about praising God with words of affirmation, and I have found it to be a most enjoyable way of just connecting with Him.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
From Joan Smith: “Thanks for sharing, Lee Ann… this is EXACTLY what I needed to read-learn-be reminded of today! You are a Blessing to those who know you.”
Candy Benoit wrote:
“Hey Lee Ann – absolutely loved the service today and praised and absorbed every single minute of it. Thank you for your thoughts on this subject and so many others. I’ve missed you and look forward to seeing you next weekend. Continue praising God!”
Lee Ann – I love your writing style. It sounds just like you! Thank you for the clarity. It seems praising God transports me out of this world and into the spiritual world. In the moment of praise I am focused on God with all of the cares and concerns of the world faded into the background. It is a wonderful gift to praise God – the One and Only deserving of such honor.
Sandy Lounsberry wrote: Lee Ann, I love your thoughts on your blog. So many times they run right along with mine. One of our bible study groups was studying Stormie Omartians book “The Power of the Praying Church”. She discusses praise and how when we praise God in a group it brings him in to us and sets us apart from the world that would not want us to be closer to God. Praise is indeed powerful and brings our Father even closer.
Blessings,
Sandy
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Sandy. I don’t believe it is an accident that themes in our lives are woven together for His glory! Maybe if we would quit short-changing Him in the area of praise, He would lead us to focus on something else!
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Hey Lee Ann,
We just streamed a sermon in yesterday from Word of Life Ministeries in Florida and he was just saying the exact same thing! God inhabits the praises of His people! I think you are right on! We need to be praising Him in all things! What a great reminder! Thanks for sharing your heart so beautifully, as always!! Love you my sweet friend!
You are so sweet, Laurie! I so appreciate your interest in my reflections, and it is always affirming to know that people enjoy reading them. Thank you for being such a dear friend to me over all of these years! Love you too!!
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Tomi Ann Foust says: Profound, as always—thanks for sharing.
You are very kind, Tomi. Thanks so much for taking an interest in my blog.
Blessings,
Lee Ann
I have been troubled, at times, by a song that we have sung that has the phrase, “YOU are worthy of my praise”. That phrase sounds to my ears as if I have examined God and found that HE has “measured up” and meets the criteria necessary for me to dispense praise to HIM. I don’t know that your insights help me with this song but…WOW!!…to think that praise is God’s love language…amazing insight Lee Ann!! This very much will color my efforts to offer HIM words of relationship. This is gonna stick for a looooong time. Thank you.
Thanks for your thoughts, Dave! My heart says let’s praise God from whom all blessings and insights flow!!
Blessings,
Lee Ann
Linda Dill says: I loved this blog and I wish you had been at my church Sunday. Dr. Dyer’s sermon was titled HeavenBound and he cited numerous Biblical verses that described Heaven and supported the book, 90 minutes in Heaven. You are a gifted writer and I am so glad to be on your email list!!! Linda