Grateful Praise

‘Praise the Lord’ is not just a celebration of gratitude to God, and reverent worship of our King, it is also a command. Jesus directs us to worship our Heavenly Father in ‘spirit and in truth’ (John 4:23-24). The pinnacle of praise found in this last Psalm is an exhortation to praise Him in His sanctuary. It is with music, instruments, dancing, spiritual songs and hymns that we praise Him.

The church’s chorus of praise to Christ rises high above to the courts of heaven. In reverence and thanksgiving we praise Him for His mighty acts: His creation for its beauty and majesty, His redemption for its forgiveness and freedom, and His holiness for its purity and power. Praise to the Lord reveals the Lord.

“Stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening” (1 Chronicles 23:30).

You praise Him for His glory, but in the process you receive the benefit of His blessings. Praise solicits the blessing of His security and peace. It is in the act of adoration of His character that you are comforted by His care and compassion. Praise produces peace that flows from a prayerful and sincere heart for God.

There is a calm confidence that comes from crying out to Christ in praise and worship. It is the battle cry for believers as they engage the enemy in everyday life. Just as the Lord instructed His children to praise Him in preparation for and during battle, so you are wise to apply the weapon of praise as you encounter the world, the flesh and the devil. Praising the Lord is your pronouncement of His sovereign security in your Savior Jesus. Praise Him while you have breath, and you will bring glory to God.

“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

Grateful praise to God gets your heart in the right mood and your mind confident in Christ. A transaction of trust takes place when you take time to praise and thank the Lord. Make it your holy agenda to worship your Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, with a grateful heart and His work of grace will transform you into His likeness. Grateful praise brings glory to God and genuine joy to His children. Praise Him and so will other needy men.

“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him” (Exodus 15:5).

What challenge am I encountering that invites me to aggressively praise the Lord?

Related Readings: Deuteronomy 32:3; Ezra 3:10-11; Psalm 40:3; 103:1-2

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Additional Resource: Printed copy of the 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and the 90-day devotional books Infusion and Seeking God in the Psalms… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

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