Before Them All!
“Then I will thank you in the assembly of your people; I will praise you before them all.” Psalm 35:18 GNT.
Thanking God for who He is and what He has done for you, is not only to be done in private as some claim — but to be done corporately!
And as in this verse “before them all” is translated in the King James as before the Heathen which means ‘before the unbelievers’.
When I was one of those heathens ( and a good one at that), I reluctantly went to Church with my mother at a certain Denominational Church that we attended when I was young.
We were all seated and they began to open their hymnals to a familiar song that we sang in that Church and it so happened to be “How Great Thou Art”.
Now in this particular Denomination, you didn’t do outward expressions of Praise and Thanksgiving — but in the middle of that song, a very old man stood to his feet and lifted his hands straight to heaven with tears streaming down his face and as he did, The Holy Spirit’s presence swept across that congregation and the conviction of The LORD came on me like I had never felt in my 14 years of going to Church!
This brave soul, who was overwhelmed with love and thanksgiving for his Savior had caused His Saviors presence to invade the First Baptist Church that Sunday morning and in turn many were caught up into that moment!
It truly only takes one soul to begin to choose to give Him thanks outwardly for the sweet Holy Spirit to come inhabit a room full of people!
Oh the Devil will whisper to you ”You are making a show!”
But don’t allow him to take your moment to give God the thanks due to Him and make a show of him not yourself!
By the way this is also humbling yourself before The LORD and He gives blessings to the humble. (Matthew 5:5)
~ by Jo Ellen Stevens
Arise Shine!
Jo Ellen Stevens of TCIC Ministries is a Prophetic speaker, author, worshiper and intercessor. She has ministered with her husband for 23 years and was a worship leader at the Assembly of God for many years. She is an ordained minister (Restoration Ministries) and works with Restoration Ministries in their Ministry Rooms doing prophetic worship with her husband. She has taught many bible studies and have led many intercessory prayer groups.
That’s exactly what our sermon was about this morning — thankfulness! One of the things he said was to ignore thankfulness was to ignore His work and thankfulness brings joy !
My grandmother and her brother were at her mother’s bedside as she was dying, when great grandmother suddenly said “Can you hear them?” “What Mama?” ” The angels are singing ‘How Great Thou Art’!!” She shortly passed. This is one of my favorite family stories.
So true.