Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

    praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

    praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

    praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with timbrel and dancing,

    praise him with the strings and pipe,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

As school begins tomorrow and an important meeting decides the fate of my school, I am thankful for this time of praise.

I think perhaps the quickest way to burn out and get discouraged is to fail to take the time to praise Him. To praise everything He is. To praise everything He has made. To praise everything He has done. 

When I focus on Him instead of my own struggles, I find peace. When I turn my gaze to Him instead of burying myself into busyness, I find joy, I find Hope.

And these days, we all need more Hope.

Praise Him because we have an eternal Hope that will never go away. We have the promised Hope of an eternity to praise and glorify the Author of every good thing.

And when I pause and think about all that...when I reflect on His goodness and faithfulness. When I rest in His salvation....my heart has no room for distress. My heart is full of praise and nothing else.

Surely there will be hardships ahead. But so is my Lord and Savior. Let my heart be full of praise for Him, that I not be weighed down by the trials of this world, but content in my assurance of the next.

Praise the Lord.