Praise to the Lord – Rich Mullins
Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody
Stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Sing your praise to the Lord
I could never tell you just how much
Good that it's gonna do you
Just to sing

Anew
The song your heart learned to sing
When He first gave His life to you
Well life goes on and so must the song
You gotta sing again the song born in your soul when
You first gave your heart to Him
Sing His praises once more

Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody
Stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Sing your praise to the Lord
I could never tell you just how much
Good that it's gonna do you
Just to sing

Aloud the song that someone is dying
To hear down in the madding crowd
That you once were before you heard the song
You gotta let them know the truth
Is a light to shine upon the way that maybe they could go
And sing His praises once more

Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody
Stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Sing your praise to the Lord
I could never tell you just how much
Good that it's gonna do you
Just to sing
Your praises to the Lord
And everybody sing
Your praises to the Lord

From the rising of the sun
To the place where it sets
The name of the Lord is to be praised
The Lord is exalted over all the nations
His glory above the heavens
Who is like the Lord our God
The One who sits enthroned on high
He who stoops to look down upon
Down upon this earth and its sky

And that is why you gotta sing
Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody
Stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Sing your praise to the Lord
I could never tell you just how much
Good that it's gonna do you

Just to let the name of the Lord
Be praised both for now and ever more
Praise him oh ye servants

I have a tough time staying still these days. When I sit in silence, I find myself thinking about the many things I ought to be accomplishing. At any given moment, I can compile a mental list of chores I need to accomplish, papers I should be writing and people I should be spending time with.
I have an even tougher time when I write my blog, or do freelance writing, because I have to check my email, or I have to do some ‘quick’ research. Therefore, in the spirit of said research, I have some statistics for you… crunch these numbers.
These are numbers from a recently conducted internet usage study. The survey found that 68.9 percent of respondents were regular Internet users and 13.7 percent found it hard to stay offline for several days at a time.
It found 12.4 percent often stayed online longer than intended, more than 12 percent said they saw a need to cut back on their Internet use, and 8.7 percent tried to conceal "non-essential" Internet use from family, friends and employers. A smaller number, 8.2 percent, said they use the Internet to escape problems or a bad mood, while 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use.
I do not believe that I have an internet addiction. Yes, I check my email everyday, but that is because I have necessary correspondence coming in. However, I never try to hide my usage from family. I keep everything out in the open, and I do my best to make sure my computer time never takes away from my family time.

I believe that God wants more. In Psalm 46 and verse 10, God tells us to ‘be still and know that I am God.’ What is even more fascinating is what God means by be still. In Latin, the term ‘be still’ translates to ‘vacate.’ That would be the root of the word vacation. Either way you look at it, God wants us to put down the reigns and move out of the way.
In Hebrew, the term ‘be still’ is a command telling us to remember who we are, and remember who God is in relation to the world. God is not ever going to attempt to vie for our time. Our faith and our strength come not from depending on our own power, but rather from trusting in His ultimate power and wisdom.
Funny thing is, when I listen to His sage advice, when I quit holding on to life so tightly, my life gets so much better. I can be caught up in talk radio and news programs, listening to North Korea amass bombs and Iran spout hatred. Then I inevitably start this downward spiral of negativity.
Now I would never suggest burying my face in the sand a la an ostrich, but I need to remind myself that God has a plan and a desire for the world and I cannot run this world no matter how hard I try. Sometimes it is better that I just ‘let go and let God.’
And so I reflect back on this Rich Mullins song. He had something there, didn’t he? When I become still and when I reflect my praise back where it truly belongs, I become the one more relaxed. I become the one who reflects her Creator, and what I was made for. And to that, I say Hallelujah!