Key Verse: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad. Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:1-3 CSB)
I don’t know about you, but there are some days when I just don’t feel that much like praising God. It’s usually a day or a week that has been harder than others. Or it’s a time when I haven’t been diligent enough in pursuing the Lord and ensuring that my heart is delighting in Him. On those days, gratitude doesn’t flow that easily. It feels harder to worship and praise Him. Can you relate to that?
When David wrote the words of Psalm 34, he was on the run. Saul was becoming increasingly paranoid and wanted David dead. So David fled his presence in an effort to stay alive. On this particular occasion, David went to King Achish of Gath. But he too felt threatened by David which caused David to become so afraid that he even pretended to be insane in order to protect his life (1 Samuel 21:10-13). From there, David ended up taking refuge in a cave.
Put yourself in David’s shoes. What would be going through his mind, as he tried to stay one step ahead of Saul? Would worship and praise be his first response to all that was happening around him? Amazingly, even in the dangerous and fearful circumstances that David was facing, he continued to praise God.
In Psalm 34, David wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips”. Worship and praise wasn’t something that was tied to his circumstances or to his emotions. It was something that flowed from him at all times, regardless of what was happening around him.
How is this even possible? How could someone be so filled with praise and worship when everything around him was falling apart and he wasn’t even sure he would make it through the day? I have to think that on some of those days worship was simply a choice that David made. He had to make up his mind that no matter what he was facing, God was still worthy of his praise.
The same is true for us. There will be some days when worship and praise will just naturally flow from our hearts and our lips to God. It will be easy to praise God. But on the days when it isn’t, when praising Him feels harder for us, we need to choose to praise Him regardless. God is still worthy. He has not changed. His love and His grace are still upon us. There is always a reason to bless the Lord and to proclaim His greatness over all. So choose to do that again today.
Prayer: God, you are always worthy of praise. On the days when it seems harder to worship and thank you, help me by your Spirit to make the choice to praise you. Remind me of your greatness. Help me to exalt your name. I choose to praise you again today. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
