Sing Praises to the LORD

"Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted." Psalm 9:11-12

In these verses, we can see God's desire for His people in Israel to tell the Gentiles about Him. They are to do this by speaking about Him and singing praises to Him. Why? Because He is "mindful of them" and does not forget about their affliction. The Israelites were quick to forget about God. They especially forgot to trust in Him at all times. Many times they tried to build idols and find other ways of gaining blessings. But, God is so patient. He was continually mindful of them and the afflictions that they suffered at the hands of the Gentiles. Yet He desired for them to trust in Him as a sign and show to the Gentiles that God was on their side.

God's desire for His people today is very much the same. He desires for us to trust in Him, sing praises to Him, and tell others about Him. He wants for us to be a picture of His glory and grace. Just in the way that we lead our lives, we are a testimony to others of God. If we put God first in everything we do, we are telling others about the priority He takes in our lives. If we remain faithful and trusting during trials, we show others God's mercy and love. If we sing praises to Him during the good times and the bad, we tell others about how God is directly involved in our lives and the blessings thereof. But in addition to living in this way and living for God's glory, we must also tell people about God with our mouths. We must witness and pray that the Lord will use our feeble words to draw more people to Him.

I praise God for our missionaries. They have such a love for the lost that is amazing. They are one of a kind folks who oftentimes give up all of the "comforts" of life to live in a foreign, and many times hostile, land to tell others about Christ. They learn new and very difficult languages, they live in huts without clean running water, they raise their kids there, and through the grace and mercy of God, they lead many people to the throne of God. And yet they desire no praise for themselves and no compensation because their compensation is in the Lord and their praise is directed to God for He has the glory.

I'll leave you with this passage from Romans:

Romans 15:8-13 (English Standard Version)

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

⁸For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name."

¹⁰And again it is said,

"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."

¹¹And again,

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him."

¹²And again Isaiah says,

"The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope."

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.