Hmmm..

A couple of days ago, I watched Jesse Duplantis' video, "Close Encounters of the God Kind" where he talks about his trip to heaven. If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest it. It is so amazing. Just imagining it all made me want to go to heaven that much sooner :p. But there was one thing that I had a question about.
In the video, Jesse Duplantis said that it's all about praising God all the time, if one person says, "Praise God!" then it starts a chain reaction and everyone shouts, "Praise God!!" And that kind of got me thinking, why does God want praise all of the time?

Obviously, he created everything and He most certainly deserves constant praise like that, but I just thought, if it were I who was on the throne and Heaven was my domain, I don't think I would want people praising and worshiping me constantly. I would feel selfish. I just couldn't understand why God would want to be the thought in everyone's head or the one on everyone's lips constantly.

So, I was driving home from piano lessons later that day, and when I am in the car by myself, I always think that is the perfect time to speak to God openly, and out loud. So I mentioned to him the question I had. I tried to put it in the best words possible, but of course he knew the exact meaning behind the words. I told Him that I didn't understand. I just couldn't wrap my head around that image - everyone praising Him all the time, and I couldn't understand why he liked it that way. I discussed it aloud for a bit, and then I felt it - I am almost sure that this thought came from the Holy Spirit, and He explained it to me in a way I could understand, because I really doubt I would have come up with this myself.
I could hear the words coming together in my mind, "He is a King. Back in the days when King's ruled over kingdoms, the people were expected to love, fear, respect, and praise their king. And that is why He asks for us to love, fear, respect, and praise Him."
But this still wasn't quite something I could understand. I live in the United States, and I've never been in an environment where I had to love, fear, respect, and praise my leader. It is certainly a blessing to have never lived under a monarchy, but since I never had had to do so, the idea was still a bit fuzzy to me.
So I told Him these thoughts.
And he told me, "There were many evil kings who asked to be worshiped or thought of as the god to the people he reigned over. But I am the Good King; I reign even over the kings of the olden days, and monarchs of today. That is why I am to be praised constantly. Because I am the King of everything, and I actually deserve the praise and worship that those kings did not deserve."

I thought this was such a powerful thought. I know it came from God. I love it when he talks back to me during prayer.