Praise the Lord

Praise the name of the Lord, praise him, you servants of the Lord, you who minister in the house of the Lord…he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. –Psalm 135:1-2 and 7 (NIV)

What a joy it was to read this morning’s suggested biblical texts and feel as if the psalm was written just for me! I find myself praising the Lord for several reasons today, all of which are mentioned in Psalm 135.

First, I am thankful for the servants of the Lord that I have the privilege to pastor. Last night, volunteers from our church waited tables at the local Shoney’s restaurant. All of the tips raised and 10% of the sales will go to support our community’s ministry to the hungry. Of course, it doesn’t do much good to wait tables unless people come out to eat. I was so pleased at the number of people from our church that came out to enjoy a good meal and to support an important ministry. We raised $1400 in tips alone for our hunger ministry, all of which will go to feeding the hungriest people in Lincoln County. Praise the Lord!

While a restaurant full of customers enjoyed food and fellowship inside, outside I noticed ominous clouds, lightning flashes across the sky, and a hard rain that we so desperately needed. And I found myself praising the Lord for watering fields, flowers, and lawns.

Over and over, Psalm 135 reminds us to praise the Lord. As I read this psalm, it occurs to me that I don’t often praise the Lord enough. I do a pretty good job of praying for the sick and for the problems in my life and world but those things tend to dominate my prayer time with God. Seldom do I spend significant time just praising the Lord for all He has done, is doing, and will do in my life.

Today, I am going to focus on praising the Lord. I’m going to try and find things for which I’ve never praised or thanked God. Will you join me?

May God grant you the grace to be more aware of and thankful for the signs and wonders of God’s goodness that surround you.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible, tomorrow's readings are 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8, Psalm 136, and Romans 5.