Praise the Lord!

Ps. 113:1

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

 

This command is doubly emphatic! Praise the Lord, and again to the servants of the Lord, Praise the Lord. Praise is not an option! How should this praise impact His servants, those who believe and are chosen by God? Is my life enriched by praising God? 

• Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! Another exclamation point! Even His name is worthy of eternal praise. How exciting is that! The name of God is now my family name. His Son lives within me! I am an child and heir!
• From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. Is there even one day or one night that the praise of God should not resound from our lips? No, but from a human standpoint, there are many days when praise is the last thing on our lips. But is that because  I am viewing the day from my point of view or from His? Is that because my world view has shifted from trust in a sovereign God to seeing only the heartache around me?  
• The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens! Supremacy of nations and glory unrivaled are His. He dwells above all that is earthly, flawed, and finite. His control is not known by facts but by faith, and even that faith is a gift! I must believe in Him and in His sovereign plan for my life.
• Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?  The answer is a resounding, No One! There is no one at all who compares in power and might, so why waver in trust. It makes no sense!
• He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Such great mercy! He loves the poor and the barren, those who are on the fringe of society. He can change the plight of their lives, not be aid, peace-keeping missions, or new innovative measures, but by a changed heart. A heart that only be changed by God!
• Praise the Lord! This is the final statement! In all and every circumstance, emotion, condition, etc., praise! Praise should be my default mode! It should be the attitude of all the words on my tongue.

Father,

Thank You for being such a great God, for loving me and saving me, for giving me salvation through Your Son. Keep my lips and heart always speaking words of praise.

In Jesus name,

Amen