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Daily Devotion: Psalm 111:1-4

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Psalm 111:1-4    "Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.  (2)  The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.  (3)  His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.  (4)  He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion."

In this Psalm, it seems David is encouraging the Lord's people to give praise unto the Lord. Then he said, "I WILL praise the LORD with my whole heart." I am made to think this morning on that subject of praise.  What is praise?  I'm sure it means different things to different people. This devotion is not a critic's point of view as to the subject of praise. I'm not saying what is right or what is wrong. I believe praise and worship are matters of the individual's heartfelt need.  Yes, there are times when praise is an absolute necessity in our lives. The question arises, "Should we not always praise the Lord?"  I think we should, but it seems praise comes in different levels and different modes.

There are times when I can praise the Lord through some of the modern praise songs. I admit I am not a fan of all of them, but that is due to my taste in music. There are times when the old hymns that were written hundreds of years ago speak to my heart and praise begins to flow. I like Southern Gospel music and many of those songs bring tears of praise and glory unto the Lord. The child's song, "Jesus Loves Me," brings praise from my heart.  I enjoy music with instruments. I enjoy music sung acapella. There are times I make up my own songs as I'm riding down the highway.  The main point that is to be made is "I WILL praise the LORD with my whole heart."

As David wrote those words and as I read them, I was struck with the thought that praise is not just a noise in spite of what I wrote in the previous paragraph.   There are times when music is not even involved with my praise unto the Lord.  Sometimes it is spoken.   Sometimes it flows from my heart without an audible noise.  My thought is that praise is the expression of the heart in gratitude unto the Lord. Praise comes forth as we have a realization of just how great and marvelous our God truly is.  The remaining portion of this Psalm speaks of some of the reasons why David was adamant in declaring that He would praise the Lord. His praise, though a personal matter, went to the degree that He was determined to speak of the greatness of God "in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation."

Could it be that we have become timid in our praise unto the Lord? Could it be that we have settled for our praise to become a matter of the heart without making it a matter of public announcement to others that we love and serve the only true and living God Who is not matched by any other?  Has God been gracious to you? When was the last time you shared that with others?  David was determined to praise the Lord, but also he was determined to encourage others in their praise.  Are we that determined?

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