Shortly before I moved to Wisconsin, a member of my extended family had died. At the wake, her daughter Jackie and I reminisced, as people often do at a wake. One story led to another, and eventually Jackie shared about how she and my mother loved to sing in church. She laughed quite a bit as she told the story because she and my mother were not blessed with singing voices. In Jackie’s words, not mine, they had “singing voices like chickens.” She laughed even harder as she regaled how the two of them often sounded like cackling hens, but nothing would stop them from singing the Lord’s praise! It’s likely the singing of those two ladies bugged a bunch of people around them. I know that they weren’t happy that their singing voices might be bothering other people, but there was something about their new nature that simply compelled them to worship, and that they did! My mother is praising God in heaven now, and Jackie continues to worship and praise the Lord despite a stroke. I have no doubt that her singing is still a sweet, sweet sound in God’s ear.
I was inspired to tell you about my mom and Jackie praising God after I received an email from a reader. Here is an excerpt from the letter:
“I was reading Psalm 145 the other day and verse 10, which says, “All your creatures, Lord, will praise you, and all your people will give you thanks.” made me think about how creatures praise God. Just then I noticed a ladybug crawling on my ceiling and thought, “I wonder how ladybugs praise God?”
I had just finished praying and asking God to give me something to write about, and in a matter of half an hour, the email above popped into my mailbox. The writer of the email wondered if I ever needed ideas for potential topics. I did this morning, so thank you very much! I am once again amazed at God’s timing, faithfulness and sense of humor. O.K., so after I read the email I was also wondering, "How do ladybugs praise God?"
On the game show “Jeopardy,” contestants are shown an answer to which they must give the question, and so it has been for me this past few weeks. I have sensed (in my mind and heart) an answer to a question that hadn’t been asked - until today. The words that had been placed before me are, “Do what I have made you to do. Be what I have made you to be. Trust me for all that you need.” So how does a ladybug praise God? By doing what God made it to do, being what God made it to be, and living on God’s provision. In other words, a ladybug praises God by being a ladybug and letting God take care of it! These would be the same answers to the question, “How do people praise God?” People praise God by doing what He asks them to do, being whom He made them to be, and trusting Him for their provision. In other words, people praise God by living out their God-created identities and letting Him feed them.
I believe Jesus addressed this very issue while teaching the Pharisees about inner purity. He quoted a prophecy from Isaiah to them, found both in Isaiah 23:13 and Matthew 15:8-9. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.” Jesus is telling us that worship and praise are not about lip service but rather about a heart close to God. Worship and praise are about relying on God’s commandments, and trusting His wisdom and His provision rather than our own.
So whether it’s two singing ladies “bugging,” or a ladybug crawling, God is being praised. His creatures and His people worship and praise Him by living lives in line with the Father’s will. Worthy and acceptable praise is found in trust and obedience. Now, if I ever find myself actually on the game show “Jeopardy,” I’ll just say, “Alex, I’ll take Ladybug Praise for a thousand.” This time I know both the answer and the question. I hope you do too.
Grace to you.
Dave Paukner
