Just Give Him Your Praise
Friday, September 25
Just Give Him Your Praise
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4
We have been walking through what it means to build our lives with God. We learned that unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. We learned that when Jesus is our foundation, we can stand when the storms come. We remembered that the God we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We learned that because He is our Provider, we don’t have to live controlled by fear and worry. And today, we come to another place of faith – thanksgiving. The song Gratitude by Brandon Lake beautifully expresses what it means to come before God when we don’t feel like we have much to offer. Sometimes all we have is a heart that says: “Thank You.”
Notice that Scripture doesn’t say, “Enter His gates when everything is going well.” It says, “Enter with thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving is not dependent on having a perfect day. Praise is not dependent on having perfect circumstances. We give thanks because God is still God. And there will be seasons when we have to trust God one day at a time. But even when we don’t see the outcome, we can still give thanks because we know God is at work.
Paul tells us: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Notice that Paul says “in all circumstances,” not “for all circumstances.” There is a difference; we don’t have to pretend that painful things aren’t painful. We can say: “Lord, I don’t understand this, but I thank You that You are with me.” “I don’t have the words to pray, but I can still praise You.” That is the kind of gratitude that comes from faith.
Sometimes your greatest act of worship is simply saying – “Thank You, Lord.” Our praise is not a response only to what God has done. Our praise is also a declaration of who God is.
Prayer for Today: Lord Jesus, today I simply want to say, thank You. Thank You for everything You have done that I can see and for everything You are doing that I cannot see. Thank You for carrying me through seasons I thought I would never survive. Thank You for providing when I didn’t know where provision would come from. Thank You for being my foundation when everything around me felt unstable. When I don’t understand the outcome, help me trust that You are still at work. You are worthy of my praise not only because of what You do, but because of who You are. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.