Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published: May 2, 2013 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
Devotions based on the weekly sermon will resume on August 2, 2021.
Psalm 145:1-4
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
Pause to Praise (Part 1)
So how has your day started today?
“Kid’s get up…we’re running late!” “Another long day at work ahead of me.” “I don’t know if I can deal with this relationship any longer.” “Will I ever find a job?” “Really, can’t we just have one nice day of weather?” “How are we going to pay the bills?” “I’m running out of options to keep my child out of trouble.” And the list can go on.
Before we get too far into our day we have quickly discovered all the things that are or potentially will be wrong about it. Perhaps the thought flits through our mind, “I wish I would have stayed in bed.”
The Scripture from Psalm 145 tells a different story. This individual understood that while it was easier to blame God for problems, it was better to praise him as King. This individual while it might have been easier to curse the name of the Lord, it was better to praise his name forever and ever. While this person may have been tempted to shove God to the background, he found it better to simply try to grasp how great he was. While it would be easier to spend time keeping our kids busy to have an “advantage” in life, he found it more important to share the mighty acts of the Lord with his kids and relatives.
He paused to praise.
How about going back and restarting your day? Perhaps it starts with just one thing, but pause to praise your God, your King for what he has done in your life. This may start with simply slowing down enough to ask, “What is God doing in my life that is praiseworthy?” I’ll let you think about this today. Read tomorrow’s devotion or more of Psalm 145 for some ideas of reasons to praise the Lord.
But today, you, reader, pause to praise!
PRAYER: Lord, we often times pause to pray which you invite us to do. We ask you to do this or that for us or take this or that away from us. Perhaps Lord, these are ways you are working a blessing in my life today. Help me today and every day moving forward to simply pause to praise you for your greatness and being part of my life. AMEN