Endless praise
by Pastor Mark Gierus
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I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him (Psalm 34:1,8).
How are you feeling today? Do you feel like giving thanks for something? Perhaps you are not in that place at all, and you are more likely to complain than praise? ‘Why isn’t God even near me, easing my pain or taking away my trouble?’
Yet here, the psalmist boldly claims that they will extol or enthusiastically praise the Lord and even bolder – at all times. What is this? Surely no-one can keep this up; after all, do you find yourself some mornings a little more tired than you should be? Are you feeling run-down and overwhelmed with the things of life and the demands on every second you live? Yet now, this enthusiastic psalmist almost throws it in your face, suggesting they are a little better in the praise effort than you are.
This beautiful psalm gives us an answer to the endless praise given by the psalmist to the Lord. It is not my effort of trying to praise God endlessly that is important. Rather, it is the word of God that is.
The one who takes refuge in the Lord is blessed. What is this about? To lean into him. To be totally honest with him and say, ‘Lord, I’m failing badly here. I am a sinner, or I am so weak and tired. Help me, rescue me, save me’.
The Lord is your refuge and strength. He is a refuge because he is faithful and loves you. He cares about you; every breath you take, he cares about. God cares about your every anxious thought and the self-talk that says, ‘I am a failure’. He holds you and gives you peace. In Jesus, he forgives you all your sins and sets you free from sin, death and the power of the devil.
The praise then comes from who God is in us. What he has done and continues to do in us by his Spirit through his word. Taste and see that the Lord is good. When we taste the word of God, the eyes of our hearts are opened in faith to see that the Lord is good. And so, in faith, we can only praise our God continually.
Gracious Father, you are good. You feed us with the very word that comes from your mouth. You love me, and you have a purpose for me to live in you by your Holy Spirit. Open my mouth daily to praise you for all you have done through your Son, Jesus. Amen.
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