Praise.
I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. [Psalm 145:1-3]
One morning last week, I skipped my scheduled Bible reading, forsook my normal prayer list, and used that time to simply praise God. After singing hymns of praise in prayer, I read praise passages in the Bible.
After perusing Moses' and Miriam's song in Exodus, Hannah's prayer of thanksgiving in I Samuel, and Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1, I moved to the ultimate book of praise - Psalms. What can speak to a heart seeking to praise like Psalm 145?
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; [Verses 8-11]
For the rest of the day, I left my Bible out on the kitchen counter, open to Psalm 145. Every time I walked by, I was reminded of the importance of praise. A grateful heart poised in praise makes me a more loving wife, a wiser and gentler mother, a stronger, rejoicing Christian.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. [Verses 17-18,21]
What's your favorite praise passage?
Ahh, the Psalms! One of my favorite books - it seems that I can always find comfort and wisdom within those pages. Believe it or not, one of my favorites is Psalm 23. I have always found comfort within those verses.
ReplyDeleteI tried to comment on here yesterday, but it wouldn't go through... so here's another try!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Psalms - they are so perfect for every occasion! One of my favourites is Psalm 136.