Revelation 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and under the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (NIV)
I felt challenged this morning to think of one reason to praise God.
Because He is not worthy of my praise? Absolutely not! There are infinite reasons for me to praise Him.
I wanted my praise to be real and authentic, and I was struggling to reach that place.
Have you ever noticed how we overuse words? They become so routine that they are general and generic. When we are hard-pressed to come up with specific words, we are often left speechless.
My husband requires more of me when I use generic words, and I love him for that. Here is a typical daily conversation with us:
Robert: How are you? or How was your day?
Amy: Good
Robert: Why?
Amy: (empty, blank stare)
In that moment I either need to backup the use of my word "good" with a reason, or I need to rethink the word I used to describe how I am or how my day was. This morning should have sounded like this:
Robert: How are you?
Amy: Tired
Robert: Why?
Amy: Because I am fighting against change and trying to do too many things in my own strength.
The word "praise" felt as commonly used as the word "good" when my day began.
I thought about how often I use or hear others use the phrase, "Praise God." And what is our answer if we challenge ourselves or others with, "why?"
That's what God asked me before the sun made its' appearance on this new day. I didn't want to praise Him for anything He has done for me - I wanted to praise Him for who He is.
So I started my list and plan to keep it going. And when my husband comes home and asks me how my day was, I can say, "good." And when he asks me why?
My day was good because I focused my mind on things that are praiseworthy.