AN EXAMPLE OF A LIFESTYLE OF PRAISE
PSALM 63:3-8
PSALM 63:3-8 NKJ
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
I have heard people talk about praising God, and it sounds as if they know exactly what they are doing. Often, they are music people or worship leaders.
But what about those of us who do not play an instrument? What can we do to praise God apart from repeating praise God, praise God, praise God?
Here is an example from David when he was not a king living in a palace. He was a fugitive running for his life and living in the wilderness. In the middle of these challenging times, David offers praise.
This short passage is a hymn of praise coupled with a declaration of who God is to David and of David's confidence in God. He acknowledges God's mercy and lovingkindness and how that richly satisfies his soul. He speaks of remembering God's help and intentionally thinking about God in the night. He declares He will follow God closely and that God is the one who sustains him and holds him up. It is a genuine heartfelt example of a lifestyle of praise.
APPLICATION
At the risk of being too simplistic, we can take David's inspired words and use them ourselves. We can declare to God that His lovingkindness is better than life. And that our lips will praise Him. Then we can continue to personalize these verses and make them our own.
This is not plagiarism. This is using God's inspired words to form a template for our praise to Him. As we do, we'll be able to add our own words to our praise, and we'll sense David's words becoming our own.
Give it a try. It may feel awkward at first but get to a quiet place and read the psalm to the Lord. In fact, you can do it over and over. Now you are praising God, who is worthy of every effort of ours to give Him praise.
And there is an added benefit. When you praise God in this way, you are magnifying Him in your life. The bigger God gets to you the smaller the worries and fears of life become.
This kind of praise leads to a closer relationship with your Heavenly Father. And a closer relationship with Him adds life to life.
PRAYER
Dear Father, You are worthy of my praise and worship. Please show me how I can honor You by developing a lifestyle of praise.