Proclaim his greatness

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. (I Chronicles 16:8-11)

Let the whole world know what he has done. Those words struck me today as I was doing my morning reading. When we 'proclaim' the greatness of our God, we do it with a 'filled heart'. In Hebrew, 'qara' holds the meaning to call out or summon; in Greek, 'kerusso' holds the meaning to announce or preach. Either way, we are instructed to both call out and announce the greatness of our God. There is a sense of urgency in either term - so when we call out or proclaim the greatness of our God, it is to be done with a heart eager to bring forth the message.

Exult in his holy name. The term 'exult' means we will do so with a sense of extreme happiness or joy. There is to be no timidity in proclaiming the greatness of our God - it is to be done with an exuberant heart and a joyful spirit. Worship is done with exuberance. Even when our words grow silent and our heart is just opening to listening to his voice, there is a sense of great joy in being silent in reverent awe before him. When all around us is in a state of chaos, we can exult his holy name and find ourselves enjoying the peace that seems to evade the rest of the world at the moment.

Continually seek him. All throughout scripture, we are told to seek, praise, and even pray with an attitude of continual expectation and gratitude. Somehow the English language has made the term 'continually' into a meaning of continual motion or action. Is it possible seek without 'action'? Doesn't the term 'seek' imply action? In Hebrew, the term is 'darash' - implying a quest for understanding, the pursuit of knowledge, and an intense longing to be closer to God. In Greek, the term 'zeteo' carries the idea of the action of seeking, but it also encompasses the intense desire to find what it is we are seeking. When we come to God with expectant hearts, we can count on him helping us find exactly what we need for our day. Just sayin!