Praise and the Presence of God
Adapted from Daily Devotions from Psalms
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
We know that Psalms is filled with praise for God, but it also includes many instructions for us, as His people, to praise Him. God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), and when we praise Him, He comes and dwells in our praise.
Praise can be anything from simply saying “Thank You” to God for something He has done for us to telling others about His goodness. Praise can be musical or words without music, but it all glorifies God for the good things He has done, is doing, and will do in the future.
There is fullness of joy in God’s presence (Psalm 16:11), so the more we praise Him, the greater our joy will be. Under the Old Covenant, people had to bring sacrifices of animals, grain, or other things as a means of covering their sin. But now under the New Covenant, Jesus has paid for all our sins, and God says the sacrifice we are to bring is one of praise (Hebrews 9:12, 13:15). This sacrifice of praise is the fruit of our lips (our words) glorifying God. We can see that praise is another great way to use our words and fill them with life.
Prayer of the Day: Lord, I praise You for who You are and all that You have done. You are amazing, awesome, and to be praised greatly at all times and in every situation. Help me to be mindful to praise You every day. I love You, Lord.
