"Sheltering in Praise." The turn of this phrase caught my attention and has run around in my mind and heart all day. Sheltering in praise is where we often find the shepherd-boy turned King, David. Much of David's recorded worship was formed through dire circumstances and yet these circumstances were the very seeds of authenticity which produced the rich fruit of praise recorded in the Holy Bible.
King David and the other contributors to the hymnbook of scripture knew that praise as a refuge, a safe and comforting place, a place of shelter from the onslaught of attacks from without and from within. Their fears, failures, and desires laid in faith before a listening Lord, served as stepping stones across wide and wild uncertainties. What started out as a cautious leap onto a slipper stone would connect them to the greatest resource of clarity and strength eventually leading out of hiding but always sheltered.
Could it be that the constraining pressures David faced while his foes plotted and enemies surrounding him, provided the dependency needed for his praise to form and to stir hope and even joy? It seemed these circumstances served as a kind of necessary freeze, like that needed by fruit bearing deciduous trees. The presence of God found in praise would warm the atmosphere allowing for the fruit of praise to break dormancy evening during the challenge of a bleak season.
Today, in the face of anxiety and fear you can honestly find a hiding place, a shelter, and it is found in offering praise seasoned with gratitude to the Lord. This hope is not only limited to great men and women of scripture yet it is modeled by them for all who would practice the paradox of the kingdom. I bear witness to the bond-breaking power of praise.
Fear will dare you, despair will constrain you but use what you have and begin the journey. In gratitude begin by thanking God for the smallest of things, maybe just your breath or the rhythm of your heart. Each step of gratitude you take will slowly lead you to discover that the only ground where there is peace and clarity is Holy ground. Get ready to take off your shoes!