“But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord!
And I’ll lift my hands but You are worthy of so much more!”

Life of Praise by Casting Crowns

What is a life of praise? It’s more than church on a weekly basis, its more than bopping our head along to an upbeat song on the radio. It’s even more than uttering a quick prayer when negative emotions creep into our heart. It’s not only moments of praise throughout the day. It is a life of praise, it is a continuous action, and it’s a reliance on our Heavenly Father. It is acknowledging Him simply for who He is. These are the lines of the song that stood out to me: “Not just for the things You’ve done for me. Not just for the change You’ve made in me. For you are my strength when I am weak. And I will lift my hand, but You are worthy of so much more.”  A life of praise is a way of being; it is a way of existing.

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!
Psalms 150:1-6

Sometimes I wonder how I can praise the Lord with my everything, and then I remember this verse. It lists so many ways that we can praise Him. Now I honestly don’t see anyone walking down the street with a “lute and a harp”, but He reminds me that we’re not limited to this. We can praise Him with our work, we can praise Him in the way we interact with others, the love that we show our friends and family, and with the gifts he has given us. I believe that our God is a creative God and since we were created in His Image, we are creative as well. Our lives are creative and our praise can be creative.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord thank You for the gift of creativity, please help us to use this gift to praise Your name. Remind us that there are so many ways we can give You praise and glory, so many ways in our everyday actions. Lord let us use our every breath to praise You. In Jesus’ Name We Pray.

Amen.