Psalms 138:1-8 (NLT)
1 A psalm of David. I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.
2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
3 As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.
4 Every king in all the earth will thank you, LORD, for all of them will hear your words.
5 Yes, they will sing about the LORD’s ways, for the glory of the LORD is very great.
6 Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
7 Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.
8 The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
There is something precious and deeply enriching to a relationship when the things that are noticed, appreciated, and admired are actually spoken. Qualities of appearance, personality, and faithful commitment may be deeply valued, but even the most remarkable qualities can become familiar and overlooked when they are never called out.
The very practice of looking for something worthy of praise changes our focus. Attention shifts away from unmet needs and difficult circumstances toward the treasure already present in the relationship. With each spoken expression of appreciation, life is given to something that might otherwise go unnoticed or be displaced by more ordinary concerns. Praise no longer remains as an unspoken thought somewhere within; it is brought into the open and intentionally proclaimed. Such words can certainly encourage and affirm the one receiving them, but perhaps an even greater transformation takes place in the heart of the one giving the praise: what is proclaimed becomes increasingly valuable to the one proclaiming it.
The God of Creation is not passive in His relationship with us. He initiated this pattern of declaration toward those He created and passionately desires to have fellowship with. He has declared His goodness and commitment toward us, and His songs of deliverance are continually sung over us with joy and gladness. His faithfulness, love, and mercy are without end. This is simply who He is, whether or not His beauty and character are recognized or appreciated. That we can have a relationship with the Holy One is itself beyond comprehension, and His purpose in giving Jesus to make that relationship possible is the most compelling expression of His heart toward us. Through what He has declared and demonstrated, He continually communicates the immense value He has placed upon us.
Yet, as great as our Father is, the weight of life’s challenges and the urgency of our needs can begin to overshadow the treasure of relationship He offers. Our attention and words can become consumed with other people, circumstances, and concerns. He may still be loved and appreciated, yet somehow occupy a diminished place in our awareness.
Something changes when we deliberately put words to the personal things we have noticed and treasured about Him. As we speak of His goodness, faithfulness, kindness, provision, and love, the incredible God He has always been begins to occupy an expanded place in our hearts. When life’s focus is intentionally turned toward Him, who He is and what He does come alive—not only through remembrance of what He has already done, but also through growing expectation of what He can yet do.
With every experience of His greatness that is noticed and called out, faith is strengthened. Praise gives voice to the treasure we have already been given, magnifying its value within our own hearts. And as we continually declare what we have seen and known of Him, the incomparable treasure of relationship with Almighty God and our Everlasting Father becomes ever more precious and real.
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