Let There Be Thanks and Praise

Have you spent any time thanking and praising the Lord today?  When I wake up in the morning I try to praise the Lord, just in my mind without singing or outward speaking, before I talk to my wife or do anything else regardless of what I feel like.  I think you can praise the Lord in thought and also in word and with songs and singing or instruments, while you are sitting or lying down or working or even playing or most of the things we are doing.  Praising the Lord is very important and I think it is heathy also.  But the best way I have found to praise the Lord is by doing what you know He wants you to do and by keeping His commandments.  I know there are many ways we can praise and thank the Lord but I think the best way we thank and praise Him is by our obedience to Him.

Read what the Bible says about this in 1 Samuel when the prophet Samuel was talking to King Saul about his disobedience in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

I know many people don’t believe that the Old Testament is relevant for today but the things that are written there are there for our benefit and/or instruction; we can learn many things that we need to learn from the Old Testament, so don’t neglect studying it and seeking the jewels that it contains!! Think of this, how can we worship and praise the Lord from the heart if we are disobedient and rebellious?  We can’t, we must repent and ask for forgiveness.  Being in these situations hinders our praise and worship.  

Also, if you are a Christian that worries and tends to be stressed and at times depressed, thanking and praising the Lord is very hard also.  But when you are thanking and praising the Lord from the heart and have repented and confessed your sins, I think thanking and praising the Lord is like good medicine.  When you are thanking and praising the Lord from the heart, your mind is on what you are doing and not on you and your problems.  If you are really caught up in praise and thanksgiving from your heart and you do it for a while it should calm you and give you a joy and peace in your heart and it may calm your nerves and possibly help your blood pressure and help you to relax and the more time you spend the better you may feel.  God is still King and His kingdom will never end and He is worthy of our praise!!  

Read what Psalms 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”  

…and also in that same chapter verses 10-11, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

When we feel down and depressed from worry and anxiety it feels like our spirit is broken but these are the times we need to give the Lord a sacrifice of praise, singing and praising God can turn our whole perspective around and help our problems seem much more bearable and we might even end up with a heart of gladness and joy.

Read what it says about this in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Now read Psalms 67:1-7, “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”

I hope you will be encouraged, Praise the Lord!!  The Lord is our only hope in time of need, so don’t forget to thank Him and praise Him today!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super, super day!!