Praising God in song, in prayer, in our behavior, in adoration of all He has done and is doing, brings out the best in us because we are turning the attention from ourselves back to God, the One and Only to be worshiped and praised.  He is God and we are not!  It is good for us to praise God.  We were created to praise God, the Maker of heaven and Earth.  When we don’t, negative thoughts creep in and we look at the world differently.  We frown more, overthink, assume the worst in people, not the best.  Our circumstances begin to overwhelm us and life seems doomed to fail us.  We think we are doomed to fail.  We are not at our best when we look down or around at others who do not live up to our standards.  Yikes.  (Shudder)

Yes, we are definitely at our best when we look up to God and praise Him.  God knows that when we praise, we begin to see the world through His eyes.  We gain new perspective and begin to understand His way of thinking when we praise Him with all that is in us.  The world looks completely different after a hearty praise session with God, our Father!

When we spend more time in praise, it brings more of the God-in-us out into the open.  We become more affirming of others.  Praising God leads to loving others the way we know He loves us.  Instead of putting others down, we begin to affirm them because we see God working in them, too.  We see the best, not the worst and acknowledge what we see in praise to God for them! 

Praising God has another benefit.  We begin to be joyful, not jealous, when others grow in the blessing of God’s character traits, too. “I see Jesus in you when _________.”  One of the many mentors in my life taught me to begin talking to someone with this opening praise for God in them.  This was probably one of the most meaningful nuggets of wisdom I ever received from him.  By praising what we see God through Jesus doing in the lives of others, we are actually praising God!!  Everything goes back to God!  To God be the glory!

Yes, indeed, “Right-living people sound best when praising.” 

PAUSE TO PRAY

Lord, who can I affirm today and what will I say to encourage them as praise to You?  Show me.  Put your words in my mouth and then help me to listen.

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 33, The Message

^1-3 Good people, cheer God!
    Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
    Play his praise on a grand piano!
Invent your own new song to him;
    give him a trumpet fanfare.

^4-5 For God’s Word is solid to the core;
    everything he makes is sound inside and out.
He loves it when everything fits,
    when his world is in plumb-line true.
Earth is drenched
    in God’s affectionate satisfaction.

^6-7 The skies were made by God’s command;
    he breathed the word and the stars popped out.
He scooped Sea into his jug,
    put Ocean in his keg.

^8-9 Earth-creatures, bow before God;
    world-dwellers—down on your knees!
Here’s why: he spoke and there it was,
    in place the moment he said so.

^10-12 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense,
    he shoots down the world’s power-schemes.
God’s plan for the world stands up,
    all his designs are made to last.
Blessed is the country with God for God;
    blessed are the people he’s put in his will.

^13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
    he sees all Adam’s brood.
From where he sits
    he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
He has shaped each person in turn;
    now he watches everything we do.

^16-17 No king succeeds with a big army alone,
    no warrior wins by brute strength.
Horsepower is not the answer;
    no one gets by on muscle alone.

^18-19 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him,
    the ones who are looking for his love.
He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
    in lean times he keeps body and soul together.

^20-22 We’re depending on God;
    he’s everything we need.
What’s more, our hearts brim with joy
    since we’ve taken for our own his holy name.
Love us, God, with all you’ve got—
    that’s what we’re depending on.

TRUTH: “Right-living people sound best when praising.”  Why do we praise God, our Father, Our Creator, Our Life?  “God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love.  He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together.  We’re depending on God; he’s everything we need.”

Proverb 15:12-15, The Message

Life Ascends to the Heights

¹² Know-it-alls don’t like being told what to do;
    they avoid the company of wise men and women.

¹³ A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face;
    a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

¹⁴ An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth;
    fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.

¹⁵ A miserable heart means a miserable life;
    a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

WISDOM:  A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face.  A leader is a learner.  A cheerful heart is a heart of praise to God and fills the day with beauty and song!

Abba Father,

Thank you for all you have done over the years.  You have saved our souls from a young age, then worked in us at each step to lead us to what you created us to be and do.  Thank you for all you are currently doing to lead us in this season of life to be and do all you created us to be and do.  Life and more life, that’s who you are!  I cannot praise you enough for you are the Giver of Life.  You are my protector, my provider, healer, Savior and Lord.  To You be the Glory.  You are my everything.  You are everything I need.  I love you with all that is in me.  Continue to show me your ways and thinking and I will obey.  For to praise You brings out the best in me!

In Jesus Name, Amen