Unbridled Praise

Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays by believers all around the world. We are reminded of the glorious victory Jesus Christ had after the cross. Resurrection Sunday is a time to praise Our King and His defeat of death!

I had looked forward to lifting my voice on stage last week and leading the congregation in worship on that special day. However, I had a vocalist's worst nightmare....laryngitis. I tried for a couple days prior to squeak out some notes to no avail. There was nothing the doctor could do. I was just plain benched. However, as I stood in my pew, even laryngitis couldn't prevent me from worshipping. Tears filled my eyes, and the music filled my heart.

The world is trying desperately to silence believers. It's a scary thought. We are being conditioned to affirm other religions that do not believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. We are being pressured to water down our message and to not share what we believe with others. Christians are being bullied, persecuted, and yes, martyred. But, you see, we cannot be silenced.

I am reminded of Paul and Silas in prison. Acts 16:22-25 reads:

"The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."

A beating, stocks, and prison bars could not silence the praise of Paul and Silas. If you read further down in the passage, their praise led to the salvation of the the jailer and his household!

I read this week in the news about a church in Canada literally being fenced off by the government, so that no one could enter it. This is the world in which we live, but oh let us not be discouraged by it. Let us rise up in unbridled praise that cannot be silenced. As Mordecai encouraged Esther, God has called us for "such a time as this." (Esther 4:14)

Our praise cannot be squelched by laryngitis. It cannot be stopped by prison bars. It is not dependent upon a church building. True worship starts in the heart. Let it overflow from your being today in unbridled devotion and thanksgiving to our Lord.