The passage reads in verse 47,
“Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God,
saying, ‘certainly this man was innocent.’”
Never before had this Roman soldier witnessed true innocence.
I began to think how often in evangelical Christianity do we equate praising
God with singing worship songs as our emotions peek to new heights. Legitimate
as this form of praising God may be (and I believe it is), there is something
seriously lacking if we alone consider this our time to adore the Lord.
Consider the centurion’s context. He had just witnessed one
of history’s most vulgar forms of public humiliation resulting in excruciating death,
and Luke writes that the centurion praised God in recognition of the innocence
of the suffering Jesus. The centurion here recognized an aspect of the perfect character
of God in seeing Jesus’ innocence. I submit from Scripture that true praise to
God is any and all recognition of truth as derived from the Creator. We worship
the Lord through song declaring His mighty works; yet let us not ignore the
simple yet profound praise that God demands in acknowledgment of all truth
originating from Himself. Applying this we are left with a pursuit of recognizing
the nature and character of God as found in every life circumstance. Praise to
God should be offered in an array of emotions and events and does not demand
excitement. His perfect character is what we praise and place our trust in, not
the favorable outcome of our lives. We exist to glorify the Lord in all His
perfections as seen in everyday life.
When we recognize true perfection in the character of God,
we are responding in worship, for we are taking our proper place and ascribing
to the Lord the glory due His name. Let us praise the Lord in recognition of
truth and thoughtfully enjoy the beauty of at least one of his perfect
attributes today; there are more than enough to choose from.
So insightful. Love this!
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