"Holy Habit"

How can we ever praise enough,

To give our thanks to Him,

On purpose with intention,

And not just on a whim,

Or when the mood is flowing,

Or when it’s going great,

We want to be consistent,

To be on time, not late.

Even when the going’s hard,

And not what we expect,

To praise in every circumstance,

And give the Lord respect.

It becomes a holy habit,

As routine as eat and sleep,

Living with thanksgiving,

Our promises to keep.

Whether beaten and in prison,

Or ship-wrecked  on the sea,

The pressure of the churches,

But Paul showed us how to be,

Praising was his way of life,

And ours should be the same,

Each day is God’s gift to us,

To praise His holy name.

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

.We are created and redeemed to praise the Lord forever. This life, in a very real sense, is heaven rehearsal. Paul writes that it is God’s will for us to be thankful in every circumstance. This echoes the psalmist who wrote: “My mouth shall be continually filled with His praise.” Yet, the world around us does not praise Him. What do they praise? Something or someone less, or spend most of their time complaining about something. The holy habit of praise is something the Holy Spirit will empower if we cooperate.

Lord, teach us to give You praise in every circumstance, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robert “Shoofly” Shufelt, used by permission. Thanks, Robert, and God bless you.