Nehemiah 9:5-6

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Nehemiah 9:5-6, “And the Levites said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be Your glorious name, and may It be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You.”

There are 5 things we can learn about God from the opening paragraph of this prayer found open Chapter 9.

First, God is eternal (“from everlasting to everlasting”)

God didn’t just show up on the scene yesterday. He didn’t just become aware of your struggles. He’s not caught off guard by the troubles in our world today. He’s not aloof. He is engaging in every detail, every facet, every aspect of all that has ever happened, is happening, and ever will happen in your life and in our world.

Psalm 90:2, 4, “Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”

When Moses asked Him what he should say to the children of Israel as to who sent him, God answered, “Tell them the I Am that I Am has sent you.”

God is eternal. He’s got this thing. He’s in control. He’s been around forever and will be around forever.

God isn’t reacting to things that happen. He was aware of them before they ever took place.

His control over everything isn’t shaky or unstable. He’s always been in control of the events of the world. He has everything firmly in hand.

He is eternal! “But what about my wayward loved one, what about my finances, what about my sickness, what about my struggles?”

Psalm 100:5, “For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

He’s either God or He’s not. His eternal nature, with no respecter of persons, is one of goodness and of love and of faithfulness for every generation.

You must believe in His eternal nature above what you see or feel. He is good. He loves unconditionally. He is faithful. These are eternal qualities you can apply to everything you are facing.

“Lord, You are eternally good and Your eternal love endures forever and Your eternal faithfulness will continue in my loved ones life, in my finances, in my sickness, in my struggles!”

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Second, His name is above all (“may It be exalted above all blessing and praise”)

Philippians 2:9-11, “God has exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

At the name of Jesus leprosy is cleansed. At the name of Jesus demons flee. At the name of Jesus storms are stilled. At the name of Jesus loaves and fishes are multiplied. At the name of Jesus sins are forgiven. At the name of Jesus “it is finished”!

Jesus name is above all names, above all authorities, above all principalities, and above all powers.

What do you need to speak the name of Jesus into? What do you need to infuse the name of Jesus into? What do you need to flood with the name of Jesus?

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 28:18 after His resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

And since Christ is in you, you have that authority as well. Satan doesn’t want you to know that let alone implement it! Jesus name is above all, and all means all!

And at that name one day every knee will bow and tongue confess He is King of kings and Lord of lords!

Third, He alone is God (“You alone are the Lord”)

King David, in a time of deep distress, prayed this prayer in Psalm 86:4-8, 10, “Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in You. You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to You, because You answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, Lord; no deeds can compare with Yours. For You are great and do marvelous deeds; You alone are God.”

How often do we go to the doctor, the medicine cabinet, the self help book, or to a McCounselor FIRST instead of taking our concerns to the One true God?

We’re surrounded with many volunteers vying to take God’s place in our life. There a lot of little gods available for us to place our trust. But everything else is undependable, changeable, like sinking sand. Only Jesus is God all by Himself. He doesn’t need any help being God.

Oh that we would put our trust in God and mean it. Oh that we would trust that when we call out to Him He truly hears us and answers us. Oh that we would trust that He is God alone, in the good times and the bad times, and has our best interest at heart.

What is it that you’ve placed your faith in more than God? Is it the medicine? The talent? The bank account? The career? The position? The relationship?

Isaiah 45:5-6, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

Fourth, He created all things and gives life to them (“You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them, You give life to everything”)

Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

In the scientific world there is a protein in our body known as Laminin.

Laminin is defined by the Webster Medical Dictionary as a “glycoprotein that is a component of connective tissue basement membrane and that promotes cell adhesion.”

In other words, it’s the glue that holds our bodies together. Without Laminin we would fall apart.

God has created us perfectly and beautifully, and “In Him all things hold together.”

I don’t want to spend a whole long time on this point because I think a picture is worth a thousand words. At this point you’ll need to Google “Laminin”.

The Cross holds the world together. Jesus work completes that work of salvation which will culminate in His soon return.

Do you feel like your world is falling apart? The sign of the Cross is holding it together. Even atheists, agnostics, and devil worshippers have in every cell of their body the Cross holding them together.

Fifth, He alone is worthy of worship (“The multitudes of heaven worship You”)

Psalm 148 are 14 verses that speak of all of creation worshipping God.

Verses 1-10 talk about the angels praising God, the heavenly hosts praising God, the sun, moon, stars, waters, sea creatures, lightening, hail, snow, clouds, winds, mountains, hills, fruit trees, cedars, wild animals, cattle, wild animals, and flying birds praising God!

These created things are actively praising the Lord day and night as a decree He issued for all of eternity.

In verses 11 and 12, the kings of the earth and all nations, the princes and all rulers on the earth, the young men and women, the old men and children praise the Lord.

This includes everyone and everything. Nothing in creation is left out. All are commanded to praise the Lord. So how can this be? How can all of creation praise the Lord?

Getting back to the scientific realm, all molecules put off electromagnetic waves, in theory. In the electromagnetic spectrum humans hear sound waves from 20 hertz to 20 kilohertz, but God has no limitations to His hearing. He hears all of the electromagnetic spectrum.

I believe God knows every molecule in every part of His creation and I believe they all sing to Him. I think God hears all of His creation singing to Him.

Scientists have discovered that there are stars in the galaxy that emit pulses so many times a second. Let’s call that the percussion section.

Then let’s add the sound of whales in the ocean as they create a musical fill.

The thunder of the rainstorm provide the crashing cymbals.

The elephants are the trumpet section, and the birds are the flute section. All of creation adds their part in the orchestra.

Finally, he added our voices. He puts all these sounds together and what He hears is a beautiful symphony of praise to His glorious name!

We are the only ones in all of creation, though, that have a choice, because we are the only ones to whom He’s given a will.

Our praise is a choice. It’s an act of our will. It’s because of and many times in spite of our circumstances that we praise Him.

This really goes back to our words. We can bless or curse. We can speak the problem or proclaim the Promises of God. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So are you speaking out curses or blessings? Are you speaking in faith or doubt? Are you declaring the Word of the Lord over your situations or are you condemning them with your negative words?

Our praise becomes a substance God can work in. Our faith activates the heavenlies on our behalf. Our worship moves God’s hand to intervene for us.

Let’s choose to praise our eternal God who’s name is above every name, the One who created all things, who gives life to all things, who holds us together by the work of the Cross, for He alone is worthy of all praise now and forever more!