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Praise

Psalm 103:2-5| “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits … who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”

Often we get caught up in life worrying about ourselves. We get caught up worrying about our work and our next promotion. We get caught up worrying about our family and providing for them. We get caught up worrying about how we need to feed the dog, make supper, mow the lawn, and make it to soccer practice on time. In our lives, there are many different things that are claiming our attention and if we’re not careful we could find ourselves being unthankful and discontent. When we’re caught up in ourselves, we forget that the God of the Universe knows us intimately and cares for us deeply. We forget that everything that is good comes from Him and that He deserves our praise.

There are things that we take for granted every single day that others would feel so grateful for receiving. We have the ability in America to go to the supermarket and pick up whatever food we need. We don’t have to worry about where our next meal will come from. We have houses or apartments where we have a roof over our heads and heat or air so that we are comfortable year-round. We have people who have sacrificed their lives so that we have freedom to vote and have freedom of speech.

Every good thing that we have received in life is a gift from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” That’s why we praise God. He is worthy of our praise and thanks because he has given us so many good things from what seems like the most trivial thing (the ability to feed yourself) to what seems like the most amazing thing (your opportunity to live in a free country). And when we praise God we join with the rest of creation, as David says, “Praise the Lord, you his angels … Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts…Praise the Lord, all his works…Praise the Lord, my soul” (Psalm 103:20-23).

Reflect:

• What are ten things that you can thank God for today? Write them down and find someone you can share with about how thankful you are for them.
• Take some time to look back on your life. Can you see where God was working on your behalf and you didn’t realize it at the time but now you are grateful for how He was taking care of you?