The Wellspring of Praise: Let’s Begin #31DaysofPraise

“Hallelujah!
Praise God in His sanctuary.
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His powerful acts;
praise Him for His abundant greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet blast;
praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
praise Him with flute and strings.
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
praise Him with clashing cymbals.
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!” Psalm 150

The Psalmist says we are to praise the Lord in His places. We are to praise Him for His actions and attributes. We are to praise Him with music and actions. And all living creatures are to praise Him!

Is Praising God Exhausting?

Wow, doing all that sounds exhausting! And indeed it is if we try to do it all in our own strength. We may pull it off for a short time, when everything in our life is going well.

But what about when tragedy hits? What about when the bank forecloses on your house? What about when you’re covered in baby fluids and exhausted to the core?

Praising God isn’t so easy when the junk of this life clings to us, weighing us down.

How can we dance or sing or play the harp or tambourine when we can barely lift our heads?

Praising Has Everything to Do With the Lord

We can’t unless we shift our focus from us to Him! Because ascribing glory and honor to the Lord has nothing to do with our circumstances and everything to do with Him.

Ascribing glory and honor to the Lord has nothing to do with our circumstances and everything to do with Him. Click To Tweet

Nehemiah counseled his heavy-laden kinsmen, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10b).

Habakkuk gives us further confirmation about where our joy and praise come from: “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:18). 

Both Nehemiah and Habakkuk knew where real and lasting joy and worship came from: “in the Lord”; “in God my Savior.”

Wellspring of Praise

The wellspring of authentic praise and worship doesn’t come from our own strength or ability or circumstances. It bubbles up and spouts forth from the Lord Himself!

The wellspring of authentic praise and worship bubbles up and spouts forth from the Lord Himself! Click To Tweet

Our joy is “in God my Savior.” Our praise pours forth in Him.

In the joy of the Lord, all our burdens are lifted, our strength is revived, and our worship is deep and rich.

In the joy of the Lord, all our burdens are lifted, our strength is revived, and our worship is deep and rich. Click To Tweet

When we walk in the hope and love and strength of the Lord, all the junk of this world sloughs off and we are free to worship with abandon.

And the cymbals resound an unceasing Amen and Hallelujah!

Reflections: Where, how, or for what do you find yourself most frequently praising the Lord? 

Linking up with many 31 Day writers at write31days.com this month for #Write31Days. Make sure you check it out for abundant inspiration!

And I am always thrilled to link up with Suzie Eller for #livefreeThursday and this week’s prompt, “junk we carry around” I love special linkups. They provide an abundance of great inspiration and encouragement all in one place. Click on the image below or link above to check them out.

By His grace ≈

Julie