Do you make praising God a priority in your life? I confess I didn’t know the importance of praising God until 2020. When we went through the pandemic, and the world seemed to fall apart, there were two things that truly changed me. One was reading the Psalms, and the other was praising God. I learned the truth of the words found in Psalm 89:25, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.”

I bet it is more common to praise God when something good has happened. We rejoice when we accomplish a goal or when we obtain something we had hoped for. We are happy when a blessing comes into our lives or when we see an answer to prayer.

But one thing I have found to be helpful is to praise God before the blessing. If I am worried about something or someone, it can be easy to fall into a pit of anxious thoughts. But many times I know deep down that my thoughts and feelings are misconstruing reality. I know that with God, I have nothing to fear.

So instead of praying desperate prayers, asking for divine intervention in a certain situation, sometimes I will instead praise God. I will thank Him ahead of time for His help. I will sing words of His goodness. I will tell the Lord how marvelous He is.

When we do this, miracles take place. First of all, our feelings will catch up to our words. We might have felt anxious before. But now, focusing on God’s goodness, we will truly feel gratitude and awe for our amazing Father.

And we see how God truly does come through for us. When I have done this, the situations I was worried about turned out okay and sometimes even better than expected. God intervened and made a smooth path.

Also, anytime we praise God, we draw closer to Him. We feel a deep connection and know that we are in the palm of His hand. And there is no better place to be. So no matter what you are facing today, try praising God. He hears you and will be there with you, holding onto you.

© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas