Pivot to Praise by Brother Curtis Hansen

                 This morning's scripture is going to come from the book of 1 Chronicles chapter 16 starting at the 7th verse. To give a little background here before we begin. King David is wanting the ark of the covenant brought back to Jerusalem. In 2nd Samuel chapter 6 verses 3-8 and the 13th chapter of 1 Chronicles verses 7-11, both books recount of what happened to a Levite named Uzzah. The ark was being transported by cart pulled by oxen. Uzzah had reached out his hand to take hold of the ark after a stumble and God struck Uzzah down dead. Moving later, the ark is in Jerusalem, David has celebrated in the street where his wife Michal was disappointed and disrespected him publicly. She was cursed by God to have no children afterwards. So with this background established, we begin at verse 7 of 1 Chronicles 16.

            7 Then on that day David delivered from this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. 

            8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

            9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

          10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

           11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

           12 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

           13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

           14 He is the LORD our God; his judgements are in all the earth.

           15 Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;

           16 Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Issac;

           17 And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.

           18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

           19 When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

           20 And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

           21 He suffered no man to them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

           22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

           23 Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

           24 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvelous works among all nations,

           25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

            A reminder for us to think about. Be thankful for the few in your life. As we often do in life, we want to concentrate on trouble when often that trouble is merely a moment. It's like being in a conversation with a person who talks endlessly of some wrong done to them and you may be thinking,"what a hard life they've lived" and in reality they're speaking about something that happened an hour ago. To repeat about the reason David composed this song we just read. David was wanting the presence of God back in the kingdom.

            God will curse when you are in a spot or have something that you are not supposed to have. You can be a child of God, and be cursed in that spot. Not everything in life is blessed. Let's review what the contents inside the ark were. There was the staff of Aaron for protection, manna from heaven for provision, and the 10 commandments for principles. Man has always had the inclination to follow his own logic. Things or thoughts that look good in his own eyes. We tend to unconsciously justify our behavior. You want God but you aren't aware of his principles. You are cursed. Remember anything or anyone against God is cursed.

            We try to make sense of things. When the ark was still in Shiloh, no one knew the steps in how to handle it. God wants you to know this morning where you are and to re-evaluate where you need to be. Often we trip up in our walk with God because we start resting in logic when we need to lean into more faith. We think our motives will override our obedience. There are things in life we aren't to touch much like Uzzah touching the ark of the covenant. In 2 Samuel 6:1 David gathered the chosen men of Israel numbering 30,000 to retrieve the ark the first time. After the tragic death of Uzzah and then blessing of Obed-edom's house where the ark stayed, David would bring the ark back. Every six steps taken by David and the Levites a fattened animal and an ox were sacrificed. If you cannot sacrifice for the many, you won't sacrifice for the few. Praise stirs the spirit on the inside. It is our job to work that gift. David didn't wait until he arrived in Jerusalem to praise, he sis it along the way. If you don't do anything the way God has instructed, he will curse it.

            Pivot to praise. David was very good at praise in his life. Praise moves God because it is what we were made for. Praise should move you. David lists little victories in his life to compose a praise. When David composed psalms to God they weren't when he was at a high point in his life, but at a low. If you don't pivot to praise in all things 1) You run into pride when times are good. When times are bad, you will use your carnal logic and pride rather than your faith. David and Saul were similar in some things, but one pivoted to praise and one did not. Don't become a victim of your own circumstance. Praise only seems strange if you don't understand the struggle to get there. Our own logic will say the correct steps to salvation are strange. Certain stories in the Scripture are strange by our own logic. Logic will ignore. A lot of people say that Jesus is Lord, but will live their life with logic as Lord. It is no longer about faith it's about the furniture. A good example of this is trust the science. How you employ logic is what rules you. Fear is the biggest driving emotion in the world. You are supposed to be a blessing to those you are around. You should be lifting people up by lifting up yourself. It is your job to lift yourself up. Stop preying and leeching off of others in moments. Start pronouncing the great things God has done for you both great and small. If you believe God is truly Lord of your life, then you know that what you have isn't yours. You are a steward of things in your life. When we get caught in something or do something wrong, it is so easy to self justify because we are our own best attorney.

            You lead yourself to praise God. If you can't praise him for a few things he's provided in your life, you won't praise him if he increases your provisions. Praise God for a few things and he will multiply it. Get a blessing and see how you handle it. How do you talk about the church? Your spouse? Your family? Out of the mouth the heart speaks and what you say about somethings reveal more about your character than whatever you are trying to perform in public. God is not taking away your stress. He will give you enough and provide you the tools to handle it, but won't take the stress away. That is up to you. Do you turn to praise in all things? Do you praise in your low points? Are you a victim of your circumstances or steadfast in your praise?