Praise the Lord

When you look at the Book of Psalms, it’s easy to tell that there was one thing David liked to do. David liked to praise God. It is easy to see that he lived a life of praise. His words and songs talk about the greatness of God. David understood that God is great and there is no one who can do the things He does. So David declared in Psalm 34:1, “I will praise the Lord at all times.  I will constantly speak his praises.”

David, like the rest of us, had a variety of experiences in his life. He experienced hardship. When God rejected Saul and Samuel anointed David as king, Saul tried his best to kill David. David lived in caves to escape death at the hands of Saul and his army. Yet in the midst of his experiences, David took the time to praise God. When God rescued him from Saul, he sang a song of praise in Psalm 18. Verse 3 says, I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”

Then he had days that were difficult and had the potential to make him downcast and depressed. David’s son made plans to over throw him while he sat on the throne. The betrayal was deep and hard because some of his trusted advisors defected and joined forces with his son. He did not give into his feelings to sit and feel sorry for himself. Instead he looked those difficult experiences in the eye and said, “Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God!  I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!” He chose to praise God during the difficulties he faced.

Even when David missed the mark and failed God, David didn’t change his lifestyle of praise. When he sinned against God, he took the time to repair the relationship. In Psalm 32, David sinned but he came before God and said, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” His lifestyle of praise was so important in his life that when he was wrong, he went before God and confessed his sin. He wanted to be free to praise his God.

Why is David so concerned about praise? David recognized some characteristics or attributes of God that drew him into the presence of God. In Psalm 111, he expressed some characteristics about God that made Him praise worthy. He said, “The works of the Lord are great.”  Moses expressed that same sentiment in Exodus 15:11, he said, “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

There is so much more that David gave as attributes that made God worthy of his praise in this Psalm. He mentions God’s righteousness, His faithfulness and many more reasons that God is worthy of praise. So that is what he did. He cultivated a lifestyle of praise. He did not allow what was happening around him to remove the praise of God from his lips.

What about you? Do you, like David, live a lifestyle of praise? Many times people look for the big things to praise God. But, did God wake you up this morning? That’s a big thing! Many people went to sleep and didn’t get up this morning. Did you get off your bed on your own? That is a big thing. Many who woke up this morning, were unable to move. Are you reading this post on your own? That tells me you have eyes that can see. That is a big thing.

David said he will praise the Lord with his whole heart. You see, David looked at who God is and what God has done and he realized that God is awesome. Maybe you are waiting for some really big things to happen so you can start praising God, God had been doing some wonderful things in your life. Maybe you need to do like David and praise God with your whole heart.