Praise God Every Day!

 

 

Scripture

Psalm 145

¹   I will extol you, my God and King,
          and bless your name forever and ever.
²   Every day I will bless you,
          and praise your name forever and ever.
³   Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
          his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴   One generation shall laud your works to another,
          and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵   On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
          and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶   The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
          and I will declare your greatness.
⁷   They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
          and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸   The Lord is gracious and merciful,
          slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹   The Lord is good to all,
          and his compassion is over all that he has made.

¹⁰  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
          and all your faithful shall bless you.
¹¹  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
          and tell of your power,
¹²  to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
          and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
          and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

     The Lord is faithful in all his words,
          and gracious in all his deeds.
¹⁴  The Lord upholds all who are falling,
          and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵  The eyes of all look to you,
          and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶  You open your hand,
          satisfying the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷  The Lord is just in all his ways,
          and kind in all his doings.
¹⁸  The Lord is near to all who call on him,
          to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹  He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
          he also hears their cry, and saves them.
²⁰  The Lord watches over all who love him,
          but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
          and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.  (NRSV)

 

Devotion

 There is a reason that I've given up on making New Year's Resolutions:  I was always good at coming up with lofty yet ultimately attainable goals that required a sustained commitment to a plans.  And I would start out well.  The problem is that I would have broken that daily commitment by Day 10...Day 15 at most.  Once I had slipped up and fallen off the daily plan,  I found it extremely difficult to get back on the proverbial horse.  I'm just not good at committing to doing a specific thing every single day.  Even every other day.

That is part of why I am so impressed by the psalmist's promise to praise God's name every single day forever and ever (Psalm 145: 2).  It's not that I don't think God deserves to be praised every day.  I just wonder where the psalmist will find the stamina to do so.  What about the days when they are sick, grief-stricken, afraid, angry, overwhelmed, or distracted?  What about the times when they are just really really busy all day long?  Will they truly remember to stop and praise God's name during all those times? And even if they remember, will they always find something to be thankful about?  AT first glance, it seems like the psalmist is setting themselves up for failure by creating an impossible goal?

The psalm goes on to show, though, that the author's goal isn't nearly as far-fetched as one might think.  You see, the psalmist acknowledges that there will be hard times and times when they aren't at their best.  They also know that God will be there during those times.  When they are falling, it will be God who catches and supports them.  When they are are bowed down with shame or beneath life's heavy load, it will be God who gets them back to standing straight and tall.  When they sin, God will be slow to anger and quick to offer forgiveness.  Whatever they need, God will provide it in due time.  If the psalmist holds onto the knowledge that God is always there to bless them in some manner--that God always acts in faithfulness, mercy, and justice--then they will surely find a reason to praise God's name every single day.  And they are ready to commit to doing just that.

 If there is one resolution that I am proud to have kept, it is one that didn't start at the beginning of a new year, but one that came on a cold and dreary March morning in 2013.  I was going through an extremely difficult time.  Despite the many people letting me know they cared and all the ways certain folks were offering comfort and support, I still felt very alone.  Even worse was the fact that while my head logically knew that God hadn't abandoned me, my heart was having a hard time believing it.  I was praying for help almost nonstop, but I just couldn't feel God's presence.

Inspired by the psalms that I had taken to reading nightly, I decided to try reconnecting with God by picking three things to give thanks for every single day.  I started small by thanking God for things I could see that made my misery a little better: some crocuses that had popped up through the snow, a cardinal in a tree, and the fact that the temperature had gotten up to above freezing long enough to melt the ice off the sidewalk I was trudging along.  And though it was hard going at first, I kept to that habit every single day.  As the days passed, my list of things to be thankful for became deeper and more complex.  I began to praise God for certain people.  For keeping things from getting worse.  For distant lights I began to see at the end of the tunnel.  The more reasons I found to praise God every day, the more I began to feel God's faithful presence in my life.  It was as if my heart was slowly thawing and had begun to once again feel Christ's love.  And though it took a while, but I found a deeper and more abiding joy than the one I had known before my hardships had started--a joy that came with realizing all the ways that God had blessed, supported, and kept me going through the hard times.  Taking a moment to praise God for three things each day also makes the happy times even more joyful, because it makes me more aware of just how good God is to me.

In spite of all my other failed resolutions, I still keep to praising God for praising God for 3 things each day.  Little things.  Big things.  It doesn't matter.  Each one reminds me of God's faithfulness, mercy, justice, and power.  Each one keeps me connected to God.   Strangely enough--without even realizing I was doing it-- I guess I have managed to keep the psalmist's intimidating promise for over 8 years now.  And I am resolved to keep following it for years to come.

If you are struggling to feel God's presence or goodness in your life, why not resolve to offering up praise for something each day.  Your thing can be big or small.  Incredibly physical or completely intangible.  You can praise God bringing you joy and success, for keeping a difficult situation from getting worse, or for simply staying with you in the sorrow and helping you bear the load until a better day arrives in its due time.  

Whatever you praise God's name for, holding to this scripture-based resolution can enrich your life and strengthen your relationship with the Almighty.  And may it be as much of a blessing to you as it was to me.

 

 

Prayer

 God, I praise your name.  This day, I thank you especially for _____________.  It is a blessing because ________.  Amen.