“I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.”
Psalm 145:2-3 NLT
Jayne is queen of the one-liners; she regularly sings out the first line of a song for which she knows no further lyrics. These one-liners provide commentary on something that is happening in her experience. They offer brief lyrical moments at work and at home. There is a lyrical side to life, and there is, therefore, always a song for the wilderness.
Praise can prove costly when my mind is absorbed with worry or focused on a pressing responsibility. In today’s reading, a short psalm, there are more than 20 words describing how we might declare our praise to God. Praise is an active and expanding means of entering into the reality who is God.
Recently I had a knock for knock collision in a car park. Where in the past this would have annoyed me, I found a calm acceptance of the reality. Regardless of the details, I chose to praise God in the moment – no injuries, just bent metal (or plastic) – and went on my way as relaxed as I’d been before the episode.
Praise is a learned habit for every day. It will not initially drown all other sounds that invade our mind, yet over time it will craft a consciousness that life is established around our worship of God. The only alternative is to live as a fair-weather Christian, where we only praise God when our life experiences are good.
None of us knows the length of our life and so the daily discipline of praise will ensure that as our mortal chapter closes we shall enter into eternity with a song of praise upon our lips.
QUESTION
Do you find that you are consciously praising God every day?
PRAYER
Lord, each and every day you are worthy of praise, your greatness is undiminished. Help me to give you the praise you are due.
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