Today's Reading - Psalm 111-118
Background
Today's Psalms are "Hallelujah" Psalms, or Psalms of praise. They glorify and praise the God of Heaven.
Devotional - Hallelujah
Hallelujah!
It is, perhaps, the most common command in Scripture. In Hebrew, that is what the word is. Hallel is the Hebrew verb for praise - to honor, glorify, exalt, lift up. Hallelu is a command to praise, and of course, the "jah" at the end refers to Yahweh, the name of the Hebrew God.
Praise the Lord.
It isn't a suggestion. It isn't a good idea. It is a command. Praise God. In the Psalms, and specifically in the Psalms we read today, we see this command often and we are given hundreds of reasons to praise God. We praise him for his greatness, for his love, for his mercy, for his works on our behalf and the victories he wins over our enemies. The list is endless. We praise God for who he is - his character, his greatness. We praise him for what he does for us. Who he is and what he does.
Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
We hear a lot of talk about "positive mental attitude" - something about which the Bible says very little. However, it does speak of the power of praise. When we focus on God, on his character, and on his acts of mercy on our behalf somehow our problems fade in comparison. Our spirits lift when praise rises to the throne of God.
We evangelicals, we Baptists, are good at many things. We love God's word and we proclaim the gospel faithfully. We love the church and seek to implement programs to reach people. But sometimes we struggle with simply praising God, with reveling in his goodness and love. If we fail at this most common of biblical commands perhaps we should not be surprised that we struggle at obeying other commands as well.
Father, I praise you. Help me to lose myself in the praise of your holy name.
Think and Pray
As you read through the Psalms today, note the specific character qualities and acts of goodness for which God was praised.
Take time to praise him.
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