March 12 –  Getting a Needed Lift

“I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.” – Psalm 30:1 (NASB)

Extol: to praise highly, when used of God: GLORIFY.
When was the last time you “extolled” God or anyone else? Is it common for us to think that we have enemies trying to rejoice over us? As we look around the world we find that there are more than plenty enemies – perhaps not as King David did in his time but we do have adversaries. Enemies have been after our joy and our peace since the very beginning. David writes that he will ‘extol’ the Lord. This is another way of giving ‘praise’ to God. The original Hebrew word for extol, which is used most often in the Old Testament means “high and lifted up, to exalt.” The psalmist declares that God has lifted him up above his enemies so that they have no opportunity to rejoice over his defeat. That has a different meaning than the lifting up by extolling. It speaks of being lifted by someone out of difficult or dangerous circumstance. Our enemies can be both physical and spiritual and for either, its best for us to call on God extolling His name, lifting His name while we ask for help and safety from those who threaten us.

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