Praise- Forever & Always

I've been focusing on the word praise a lot lately. Praise is an action I think we can a lot of times do subconsciously. We can praise people, give them compliments. When life is good, it's easy to praise God for all the things we have. It's easy to praise in the sun, but what about in the shadows? It's easy on the mountaintop, but what about in the valleys? What if praise wasn't a song we sang when life was good, but an action we walked out that carries us through every season? The culture we live in makes it easy to make praise become circumstantial. That when life is hard, we have every right to complain and sulk and wallow. When life is hard, it makes sense that praise is far from our lips. But what if we were the opposite? What if we praised when it made no sense? What if praise was heard from the valley? Oh how much sweeter the praise on the mountaintop would be if the same praises we shouted in the valleys were the same praises we shout on the mountaintop.

Praise isn't circumstantial. Praise is a conscious choice we can make. Giving praise to God means lifting Him up, acknowledging Who He is and what He has done. Praise honors Him for all He's done.

I think if we decided to refrain from praise during trials then hope, peace, and strength would be far from us. Praise isn't something we should do because we "have to." It is out of our admiration, desire, and love for Him that we praise. But, even when our feelings don't align, when we don't feel the desire to praise, then we should praise out of obedience and respect. There will be many times that praise doesn't feel like the natural response. Our flesh will try to do anything else but praise and give thanks to God. Truly, the greater our praise, the smaller our circumstances become. When we praise we are magnifying God and our problem minimizes. It doesn't mean it isn't hard or the problem goes away. But praise refocuses our priorities and reminds us Who is in control. There have been several times in my life where praise felt foreign. Because praise didn't seem to "fit" the moments I was going through. That wasn't the response people expected, but when praise did become my response, it shifted everything. My perspective. My fear. My worry. My doubts. It shifted me from my eyes being on myself to God. The enemy will do anything to convince you not to praise. And it's because he knows the power of it. He knows that when praise becomes our response, no matter the circumstances, it solidifies and reinforces our foundation. Praise keeps us connected to our source of Life and Light. Many of the psalms that David wrote are him commanding his soul to praise. We need to praise. Not because we'll always feel it, but because He always deserves it. Even when circumstances don't feel praiseworthy, we praise Him. Circumstances don't dictate how we praise. His character does. And His character never changes. He's always good. Always faithful. Loving. Constant. True. Steadfast. He deserves our praise, forever and always.

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

-Psalm 103:1-5

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

-Psalm 100:4-5

Praise. Not because we feel it. Not because our circumstances are perfect. But because He deserves it and it's what we were made to do.