Everyday Praise
Psalms 145:1-5 (NIVUK) —
‘I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.’
As I’m writing this, it’s the first week of 2023. Alongside setting new resolutions and reflecting on the past year, this is a natural time to take stock of our relationship with Jesus. Perhaps you feel that you’re coming into this year in a place of real strength, and that when you look back over 2022, it’s easy to find things to praise God for. I’m also aware that many of us will be beginning this year feeling tired, disappointed, or distant from God. Even if you know and believe that God is good and ‘most worthy of praise’, you might be finding it harder to engage in worship than before or to connect with Jesus in times of prayer.
I was recently at a youth weekend away where there were young people who fell into both of those camps. Some were feeling inspired in their faith and full of energy, whilst others had things on their mind that made it difficult for them to connect with God. Something that we all found helpful as a group was reading through Psalm 145 and sharing what stood out to us. Even those that came into the session feeling uninspired were able to highlight verses that encouraged them and talk about how David’s description of God connected with their experience.
We, too, will walk through Psalm 145 over the next five days, focusing each day on a few verses that highlight something about God’s character and our relationship with him. My hope is that, whether you’re feeling full of praise for the Lord or just putting one foot in front of the other right now, the truth in these verses will fuel our worship over the coming year and give us hope as we face what it holds.
Prayer - Father, thank you for your goodness and kindness. Regardless of how we’re feeling, we say with David that this year, ‘Every day I will praise you’. Reveal to us in a new way who you are through your Word this week.