Praise him – Day 2

Trees and flowers voicelessly acclaim with joy the freshness and sparkling newness of the spring season. It speaks of life and hope and reminds us of God’s promise that he will always be involved in his creation. That is reason enough to praise and exalt him, but so often our energy and lives are swallowed by the cluttered, disorderly and broken world in which we live, that we seldom give any thought to bringing praise to him.

Praising God does not happen by itself, it often demands an active and conscious decision from a person. In Psalm 42:5 the author speaks to himself: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him …” In the Song of Ascents the author calls everyone who serves the Lord to praise him: “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord” (Psalm 134:1-2).

When the psalmist thinks about his old age, he pledges his ongoing praise to God: “As for me, I shall always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long – though I know not how to relate them all” (Psalm 71:14-15).

The fact that he is God should be sufficient motivation for you as a believer to praise him. If you need a greater reason, he is more than just God, he is a good God (Ezra 3:11); he can speak, see, hear and breathe (Psalm 135:16-17). He is the God of gods … and his love endures forever; he is the Lord of lords … and his love endures forever; he alone does great wonders … and his love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-4).

If you are still wondering about a reason to praise him, consider this: He hears our prayers and gives us new strength (Psalm 138:3); he gives food to everything that lives (Psalm 136:25); he is our hope and trust (Psalm 71) and he alone can let us peacefully sleep in safety (Psalm 4:8).