In heaven we will sing free of all the shame, sickness and sorrow that we encounter in the here and now.

In some of the best worship songs we bring our praises to God - yet at the same time also end up preaching to ourselves.

When we, believers, sing our songs of worship, not only do we praise God through them, but we preach to ourselves. As we sing the truth of who it is we're worshipping, as well as honoring God, it can be so helpful to us. Worship is about magnifying the right things. It can be so easy to let the struggles of this become all consuming, and we must not ignore them. But when we worship, instead of magnifying and focusing on those things, we magnify and focus on the name, the strength, the power, the grace of Jesus. When we do that, it puts everything into perspective.

As we begin to face up to the holiness of God, our lives resound with that very same anthem, here and now upon the earth.

Who on Earth are we that the awesome King of all eternity would spare a thought in our direction? Why would the God of yesterday, today, and forever- the One who was, is, and is to come- choose to bestow His loving attention upon the likes of us? The God of unspeakable glory is speaking to us in unmistakable words of love and grace.

The heart of God loves a persevering worshipper who, though overwhelmed by many troubles, is overwhelmed even more by the beauty of God.

I love the intensity of the Psalms. No-one ever sounds bored about God or about life in the Psalms.