praise – giving God what He wants

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.” – Psalm 150:6

Start today off first by doing a simple task: First, take a deep breath in. Hold it. Then breathe out. Besides exercising your lungs, do you know what you did? You just met the only requirement necessary to give God praise.

Everyday that you wake up, you meet the above and only requirement to praise God. I know that early in my growth as a Christian, I thought that praising God was something that I only did when I was at church and that I did it only because the person on the stage said to; not because I wanted to. Praise is, however, actually something you can also do at home, school, in the car, walking down the street or laying in the bed.

You may be wondering, ‘How do I praise God when there is no music, praise team, or singers to accompany me”? Actually, it’s really simple. Here are a few ideas that will help:

• Just say “Thank You”. You praise God by simply thanking Him for things He has done for you. As you go throughout your day, say thank you to God for things you know He was responsible for.

Psalm 92:1NKJV – It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.

• Tell God about the things in life and nature that you think are beautiful. Is there a flower you saw that you thought was beautiful? Or a certain animal you saw that just amazed you? What about a beautiful sunset or clouds that look like animals? The next time you see one of these things, let God know how you feel. Just letting God know what you think about the things He has created is considered praise.

Psalm 92:4-5 NKJV – For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.

• Sing a song to God. This is probably one of the easiest ways to praise God. The song you choose to sing can be a song you’ve heard or something complete made up by you. As long as the song expresses your love and thankfulness to God, it is consider praise.

Psalm 69:30 NKJV – I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 98:4 NKJV - Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.

• Start your day with this song.

These are just a few ways in which you can give God what He wants. Also, holding your fist in the air and shouting “whoa, whoa” isn’t a bad way to start your day. From this day forward, make it an intentional effort to praise God on a daily basis. By doing so, you’ll be giving Him what He wants.