Psalm 113
“Praise the name of the Lord now and forever! The Lord’s glory is higher than the heavens! Who can compare with the Lord our God who is enthroned on high?”
Reading the Psalmist’s words reminds me yet again that my praise to God can improve in quality and quantity. After reading more than one hundred Psalms this year, we have seen countless phrases that describe our Lord’s character and capabilities. The writers of these songs challenge me to be more creative with the words I use to praise God and the ways that I think about His works. They write general phrases about God’s being and they also write of specific goodnesses they have experienced personally. They speak of who God was in the past and they speak of what He is currently in the process of doing. They write of struggles they have had with God and they write of gifts He has given. My point is that the Psalmists give effort to cover God’s vastness. While their praise is creative and thoughtful, it is also prolific! These songs of praise are many and some are long. It is of utmost importance to them that God receives that glory and adoration that He deserves. The Psalmist’s determination and commitment to honor God properly is what challenges me to be more thoughtful, creative and constant in my personal praise. It is easy to fall into the simplicity of allowing corporate praise, singing praise songs in church, to be the bulk of our praise to God. I think we are missing out on knowing God more intimately if we limit our praise to singing in church. I have learned over the past 10 years how valuable it is to spend time praising God during my personal prayer time. Each time I pray, I focus on one of God’s character traits or names from the Bible. I spend time thinking and meditating on that specific trait or name for God. (I got a list out of a book written with the purpose of enriching people’s prayer time.) Those names or traits from the Bible help me sit with a side of God that I might not recognize on my own. They help me be creative in seeing God differently than I would if I relied on whatever popped into my head. The list makes me intentional about looking for new (to me) praiseworthy attributes of my Father. This type of focused praise has changed they way I understand, revere and relate to God. It has made our relationship closer, deepened our communication, and grown my awe for who He is. Currently I am aiming to be more conscious of those attributes of God throughout my days as well as during prayer. While I have no intension of changing that intense praise during my prayer time, I want to grow in recognizing Him and praising him more consistently during my days.
How have the Psalmist’s songs inspired you over the past four months? Are you challenged to be more intentional about praising God?