True Praise
Sing to the Lord; bless his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Psalm 96:2-3
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Scripture speaks often of the importance of praise. Praise lifts us out of ourselves and redirects our attention to our Father in heaven. It’s easy to proclaim God’s greatness when he has stretched out his hand of blessing. But if things are not going well and the stresses of life press in from all sides, can we still praise God? Praise that exudes from us in the warm light of summer but disappears in the cold darkness of winter is not true praise. True praise is grounded in faith in who God is, not just in what he does. When we focus on God’s character and attributes, we gain an eternal perspective on life, and praise becomes our natural response.
If almighty God has come to dwell inside you and has written your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, “sing to the Lord; bless his name.” If you’ve been delivered from the curse of sin and death, “proclaim the good news that he saves.” When you experience answered prayers, “publish his glorious deeds.” And as you see evidence of God’s grace, mercy, and loving-kindness in your life, “Tell everyone about the amazing things he does!”
Prayers:
LORD, thank you for giving me the gift of praise. Help me to sing to you and bless your name every day. Give me a joyful heart to tell others about the amazing things you do. Please continue to reveal more of yourself to me so that I might praise you more and more.
Quotes:
O for an enlarged mind, rightly to conceive His divine majesty. Next, for the gift of utterance to clothe the thought in fitting language. Then, for a voice like many waters, to sound forth the noble strain. Alas! As yet we are humbled at our failures to praise the Lord as we would like.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are: Jeremiah 48:1–49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 95:1–96:13 and Proverbs 26:9-12.
