“I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name forever and ever. Everyday I will praise You and extol Your name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:12 NIV)
Yesterday we got a contract on our house. We have had it on the market for three months and our out of state move is set to happen in ten days. We got the phone call and I knew we needed to give God glory. I spent several hours reading for my Old Testament class that afternoon and kept coming across Psalm 145. Finally, I paused my study and read the entirety of this psalm aloud to my family. We needed to stop together and assign Him the credit for His sovereign hand in our story.
This scripture reminds us, we give praise every day. Not just on the mountains when we get happy news but in the valleys where we sit with no news. We praise Him on good days and the bad ones. When the sun is shining and when it is overcast. When we feel hopeful and when we feel downtrodden. When things are going our way and when things have gone awry.
Praise is the fuel of our faith. It keeps us propelling forward when we feel like quitting. It quickens our heart when we fear it’s failing. It’s in these moments when praise costs the most that it, in fact, it counts the most. Our perspective and attitude gain altitude when we lift our voices heavenward.
“I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” (Psalm 146:2 NIV)
The psalmist makes a decision to praise God all of his days. We can reinforce that choice in our lives. It’s a decision we make on good days to live out our praise even on bad days and it makes all the difference.
Lord, help me to praise You every day. We see the power of lifting song to You in all seasons. May we have the strength to live out our praise always. Amen.