Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. [Psalm 100]
If the Psalms sound like a little much to us, it is because we are consumed with idolatry.
When it seems too much to praise God with the abandon found in the Psalms to do so, it reveals that we are reserved on behalf of our idols including the idol of self.
The only reason anyone would consider it over the top to give constant exuberant accolades to God (as the Psalms declare) is because their loyalties are divided among idols and it would be out of character to exalt one above the others.
Praising God only at church one or two days per week is, in essence, a mockery of God and a glaring testament to the foolish idolatry of religion. God is really not interested that we reserve prescribed times to worship Him. When we reserve time to worship God, we inadvertently allot time to worship idols outside that time.
...And yet we wonder why God doesn't move the way we think He should!
Regardless what we think, idols take our focus off God alone and render us "praise-less.' Debt, insurance, medicine and technology all fit this description of idols. To defend them is to worship them, reserving inadvertent praise for them that belongs only to God.
There is but one remedy: repent of our divided loyalties to idols abandoning their ways entirely so that we might singularly worship God in purity.
Father, my "praise-less-ness" indicts me severely. I want to break all ties with idols and worship You alone. Forgive my reservations in worship of You for they signal my idolatry. Please help me for only You are good and worthy of all my worship and praise! So be it.
