When you read this title, you may say something like “impossible.” This may bring up memories of times when you did not feel like praising God. You may think of heartbreaking situations that you have experienced and determine that this cannot be a reality; reading it is not worth your time. You are convinced that your troubles justify your desire to reject the thought that you are to constantly praise God.
I think we all have times when we do not feel like praising God, but that is because we have a small view of God and a big view of ourselves. We have been taught that we are the center of our universe. We are geared to self-preservation, and unless we see God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present God, we will not view our circumstances in the proper light.
We are to offer God unconditional praise as in Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” David was on the run for his life, yet he was continually praising God. How could he do this when his life was in danger? Because his praise was not based on his circumstances. It was based on his view of God. He chose to look at how God had always provided in every situation. David had a deep, heartfelt reverence, a deep devotion, and a desire to always obey God. Job had this same attitude in Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” These two men show us how worthy God is of our constant praise. They were in horrible situations, yet they chose to please God.
In Psalm 145:1-3, David reminds us to praise Him all day. “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” In Psalm 113:3, we see this same thought of praising all day. “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.” There is not a moment that we should not praise God. How can we have these kinds of thoughts about God when things seem upside down, when sorrow comes, when poverty strikes, or when we have been betrayed? We look to the one who gave everything for us. We see the beauty of who He is, and plant our focus on Him, not on ourselves. These two verses teach us to make praising Him a daily routine as easy as getting a drink of water. Everywhere we look, there are opportunities to praise Him for all the goodness He shows us.
In the world we live in, there are always things that seek to rob us of an attitude of praise. We become frustrated with our situations and immediately start to complain. We see others who seem to have it easy and wonder why we cannot be that way. In these times, Satan has a party in our minds. If he can get us to focus on how bad we have it, he will then cause us to think God is unfair to us. Satan seeks us like a roaring lion; he finds our weaknesses and waits for the perfect opportunity to invade our lives. Then he attacks! Since he cannot take our salvation from us, he seeks to make us fruitless. We become ineffective Christians.
I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Now is the time for self-evaluation. Are you praising God daily? Is your praise dependent on your circumstances, only praising when things are going as you planned? Do you praise God when your heart is filled with sorrow, or do you look to Him and see that He is always there for you, no matter what this life brings your way? Today, stop allowing your feelings to determine your praise. David was running for his life, and Job lost everything, even his health, yet they did not cease praising Him.
Excellent