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Hear the devotional: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/We-Are-The-Monument-e1sr9bt
Watch here: https://www.tiktok.com/@eradiovalverde/video/7182410559353015598?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en
1 Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops; 2 Praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his warriors, 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, you morning stars; 4 Praise him, high heaven, praise him, heavenly rain clouds; 5 Praise, oh let them praise the name of God - he spoke the word, and there they were! 6 He set them in place from all time to eternity; He gave his orders, and that's it! 7 Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps; 8 Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obeying his orders; 9 Mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests; 10 Wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes, and birds in flight; 11 Earth's kings and all races, leaders and important people, 12 Robust men and women in their prime, and yes, graybeards and little children. 13 Let them praise the name of God - it's the only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; 14 he's built a monument - his very own people! Praise from all who love God! Israel's children, intimate friends of God. Hallelujah! (Psalm 148 The Message)
The first monument I ever saw was right here in Texas. It was the San Jacinto Monument right outside of Houston and Pasadena. The monument is 567.31 feet high and commerates the Battle of San Jacinto, the deciding battle of the Texas Revolution. It was completed in 1936, and I saw it in 1965. I was brand new to Houston and to my church there in Houston and the MYF had a picnic on the banks of the Houston Ship Channel, near the Battleship Texas and the monument. It was quite the site. My exposure to tall structures was Raglands Department Store in Kingsville, that had the only escalator in town and every once in a while after school my friends and I would run to Raglands, ride the escalator and run down the stairs. The escalator only went up. That's theological, isn't it?
But back to San Jacinto; the impressive structure was a symbol to many of what had taken place there and a reminder of the effort to accomplish what it did. This is the purpose of almost all monuments, to recall and to inspire, and sometimes to reclaim. And this passage has the language calling people to recall, and to reclaim all that God had done for us. The call is to have all creation praise God. The invitation is for all creation, at all levels, join in the praising of God, both beings and what we consider inanimate objects. The list is impressive as the psalmist calls on angelss, warrios, sun and mon, morning stars, sea dragons, ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes, mountains, hills, apple orchards, cedar foreest, wild breasts and herds of cattle, snakes, birds, kings, and all races of people; the leaders, the important people, robust men and women in their prime, and, thank God, greybeards, and little children. Ours is to praise the name of God, for HIs is the only Name worth praising. And interesting that the psalmist says that while we are praising God, He has made for Himself a monument, and we are that monument. If we love God, we should praise God!
The Bible also makes clear that our bodies are the temples of God and as such, we should praise God in a holy and loving way. This passage reminds us that the structures we may hold sacred for worship and praise are not not eternal. Remember the words of Jesus to the Twelve when they were awestruck by the Temple? He shared how one day the temple would be no more; we will. If we believe and trust in God and walk with God, the day we will live eternally will be a glorious day and our praise of God will be complete. Praise is an expression of prayer, for through it we glorify God and make known God's deeds. Praise is an expression of gratitude through which we give God thanks to God.
These are the days when we have heard temporal praise from the lips of children, giddy from gifts, who have laughed, giggled, squealed with delight at the gifts that will hold their attention for another forty-eight hours, then their attention will turn back to wondering why they didn't get more, or the item they truly wanted. But it's a tiny reminder of what gratitude and joy can sound like, even for a few moments; it should prepare us to truly be child-like in our thanks to God for the major, eternal things He has helped us overcome. Our sins are forgiven, our transgressions are forgotten, and our lives are sealed by God's Holy Spirit for the eternal days that are to come.
PRAYER: Loving Father, we join our hearts and spirits in praising You. May our praise bless You and bring a blessing on those not yet where they need to be. Use us to reach and bless them; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Praise God with all your soul, mind, and strength! Do it in a way that draws others to ask, "How can I get what you have?"
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
