The Power of Praise - Poem
The Power of Praise
Praise the Lord,
Oh my soul.
Come away from the noise of the giants.
They can shout so loud and long –
But there’s a praise that calls for silence.
Enough, fears,
Enough, doubts.
It’s time now, for a bit of defiance.
Soul, can we believe,
That the words on the screen
Are doing more than just gleam,
They are actually here to remind us:
He’s done it before,
He can do it again,
He can do it for me if He’s done it for them,
And no, I don’t know when,
And I don’t know how,
And yes, at times
I feel riddled with doubt.
But as our voices rise together,
Let me retether,
My soul to the anchor that will hold in all weather.
Oh God, I hope you do.
I’m taking a chance on You!
I’m lifting my hands and singing
Because I believe you’ll come through.
Of this, I am certain…
Most days.
Oh, some days I’m certain,
Some days I’m amazed.
Some days there is a praise
That cannot be contained.
Like the disciples shouted for all the miracles they had seen,
‘Blessed is the King!’
The haters shouted, ‘Shut them up!’
But Jesus said, ‘You don’t want to know what will happen if they stop.’
They said, ‘Quiet them down!’
But Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth if they do, the rocks will cry out!’
Because there is a God who so deserves,
That praise will rise from the very fabric of the earth.
And then, there are other days.
Other days, I’m hurting,
Other days, I’m jailed.
My way, barred by what I’m facing,
In a dark place of grief,
In the chains of worry
With no relief,
No escape route that I can see.
From what I thought my life would be,
This is a totally different trajectory,
And God, why is it now that You choose to go quiet on me?
Soul, I know you’re shaken.
Questioning, was I mistaken?
To put my faith in a God who seemed so good,
Before I felt utterly forsaken.
But here, in the darkness,
Soul: what are we going to say?
If God is God,
Isn’t He God every day?
Come on soul,
Is there anything inside,
That wants to believe in the face of the giants?
Is it on the odds of what we face that we base our defiance?
Or is it on the heart of a God who hung on cross,
Giving His very life for us.
In the face of towering walls:
Can we believe the battle belongs to the Lord?
Not because I’m great with a sword,
But because Jesus has won for us – once and for all!
Come on soul,
Despite what we feel,
Is there anything in us that needs a faith that’s real?
And yes, I hear you enemies,
I hear all your shouts.
Strutting about for days and nights,
Saying ‘Look my giantism, look my height!
You’ll never defeat me, I’m too big a threat!’
But there is a praise that rises from within that says,
‘Wanna bet?’
Oh, I know I look weak,
But did you forget?
It’s not me running this show
It’s the One who hasn’t been defeated yet.
Not even by death.
So,
Take a deep breath,
Here we go:
Praise the Lord,
O my soul.
From the fabric of who I am this praise will grow.
There is a moment in time,
When a shout will arise.
Because the God who I serve
Never fails, never lies,
He loves me always,
He is on my side.
He is faithful,
He is powerful,
He forgives all wrongs.
And when we form a throng
That, based on this worthy God, brings praise -
Yes, all mixed up with its wrestle and pain -
It doesn’t need to be polished,
But when I’m no longer just singing along;
Praise has the power to demolish.
And this is the praise,
In which I will engage.
The voices we raise,
In songs born from the faith,
Where our souls together have made the choice,
Not just to make noise,
But to shout for the God who is worthy of praise.
