Praise The Lord! + Tonight at Immanuel!
Good morning Immanuel. We often need to remind ourselves to praise. Then we should remember all the reasons God is worthy of praise.
“Praise the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 146:1).
Where does praise come from? Most of the time, it’s a response to something that brings us joy. I praise the beauty of my wife or the efforts of my children. We burst forth in praise when a musician plays a magnificent solo, or an athlete makes a highlight play. And in each of these instances, we don’t even really decide to praise–we just respond.
But our hearts don’t react to God nearly so naturally or joyfully. Because of our sinful natures, praising God often feels unnatural. This is why we need the words of Psalm 146:1 so much:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Who is the psalmist talking to? Himself! He is reminding himself, commanding himself, to do what is absolutely right but doesn’t come naturally. But this isn’t a mantra or a gritting-his-teeth force-of-will thing. He goes on to remind himself why God is worthy of praise: he is our helper, he is creator, he is just, he is generous, he is merciful, he is a rescuer, he cares for the lowly, and he will reign forever.
We need this example because our hearts are slow to praise God. First, remind yourself to praise. Then remember all the reasons God is worthy of praise. Then you will be ready to respond in praise.
March 1, 2023 - Immanuel At a Glance
Sunday Resources
CELEBRATING WINS
Immanuel members joyfully and unanimously voted to affirm the call of Vince Greenwald as Assistant Pastor. God be praised!
This past Sunday, we were happy to receive our dear brother Sam Allberry back to the states on his recently approved visa. Welcome home, Sam!
SUNDAY SERMON - Pastor TJ continued our series in Ephesians 4:1. View the latest sermon here.
SIDEBAR SEASON - On this week’s Sidebar, TJ talks about grammar, Christian motivation, and our mega calling as a church here.
Things To Know
WEDNESDAY NIGHT - Join us tonight as we continue our study time in Acts!
ONLINE PRAYER - Every week, Jenn Ross, one of our Discipleship Groups leaders, facilitates two online prayer meetings that everyone is welcome to join. The Zoom meeting times and links are below:
Every Thursday afternoon from 12:00-12:45 pm
Every Sunday morning from 7:30-8:00 am
LIVE ALBUM RECORDING SINGLE - Remember the Immanuel Live Hymns Album recording event last October? We are happy to announce that the song, “Tis So Sweet” will be released as a single next month, on March 10th! Be on the lookout, and let’s spread the word!
A friend shared this song with me yesterday, it is exactly where I am... I don't like when people tell me I'm going through a Job moment b/c those challenging moments feel like an eternity but I am able to say "though you slay me - I will Praise You!" https://youtu.be/qyUPz6_TciY
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