“Daily Praise”
By Dianne Prince
“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.” —Psalm 67:5-6
I remember during a particular worship service; the church choir began singing the song “Praise is What I Do.” Someone in the audience began patting their feet to the beat. Someone else began swaying from side to side, keeping rhythm with the song. And another person began bopping his head to the music. Someone shouted, “Hallelujah!” As the song progressed, everyone was on their feet, hands raised in the air, bodies swaying from side to side with smiles on their faces, praising God with loud voices. The song had created an atmosphere of celebration and jubilation.
In our scripture this morning, the Psalmist says we should sing praises to God every day. He did not say “sing” if we have a trained voice, or if we can carry a tune, or if we can sing in the right note. But He instructs us to use the voices God gave us to sing praises to Him.
The reason daily praise is necessary is so we will keep fresh in our minds what God did for us yesterday. By remembering what God did in the past is encouragement for what He can and what He will do for us in this day. Remembering yesterday’s blessings will give us the push we need to get through today. It will give us the support we need and the assurance that God is alive. He is well, and if He “did it” for us yesterday, He will “do it” for us today.
The psalmist reminds us that when our praises go up, God’s strength will come down. When our praises go up, God will steady our restless spirits. He will soothe our agitated hearts. His sustaining power will flow through us. And He will lift us beyond our burdens and fill our hearts with hope.
