When you least feel like Praising God, that’s when you need to Praise Him the most. Praising God doesn’t come naturally for some of us. Let’s learn how to praise God and change your thinking. In the end, it will change your attitude and heart.
Breaking into praise is not something I think of first. It is not natural for me. My weakest love language is words of affirmation. I love to be appreciated, but I have had to work at giving appreciation to others because I know they love it.
Praise, Emotions, and David
If we look at the life of David who wrote the Psalms, we can learn from him about Praise.
The more I read the psalms the more I can identify with David. He was constantly on a rollercoaster of emotions and I frankly most days feel like that too. One moment I am sad, then disappointed, and then excited.
Up and Down
I used to teach a preparing for adolescence class for teenagers at church when my kids were growing up. One of the lessons was, “it’s okay to have emotions”, it’s just what you do with them that matters.
David had emotions like a roller coaster and he learned to journal, pray or sing them to God. What he did hiding in a cave or fighting a battle was to get his emotions out to God.
When you read a chapter in Psalm, David is praising God for the amazing things God did for him in battle or his personal life. In the next chapter, he laments or pours out his heart and cries out to God to help him or forgive him. “Did you forget me, God?” That is what he says and that is exactly what he asked God.
One night I had enough of the questions in my life and I took that psalm and prayed it to God. ‘Did you forget me God? – I cry out to you for help.’
Praising God
I have had many months where I have no idea where my life is going and being peri-menopausal my emotions are all over the place. Lamenting to God like David is what I do. This helps for a moment- to get it out. The true way to move out of my sadness and self has been to praise God.
We moved to a new state and lived in an apartment and waited to find a house. The story of finding our house is in this link. We did not select a church right away because we wanted it to be near our house. Meeting people has been super slow.
My kids and family live across the country and we have made no new friends yet. In my part-time temporary job, the days are long and boring. I wait and I wait and I pray and pray. The Psalms are what have got me through the past 7 months.
My husband will ask me, “what are you doing?” “I am reading the Psalms”, I say. When I feel down or depressed, I have learned to grab my bible on my phone and start reading the Psalms. I get to the chapter where David praises God and I pray those verses to God or I start praising God on my own.
Heart and Spirit Change
When I am done with a few chapters in Psalms my spirit and heart feel better. Nothing has changed in my life. I am still waiting and still have the same issues, but my perspective is focused on God. God is good to me and my spirit and heart needed to tell my head that God is good and praise Him.
Praise is what gets you through those moments in life when you don’t know what to do, or where to turn.
God is in charge and we need to just let go and let God take over. Praise him for what he has done and what he is going to do. He is the God who was and is and is to come.
Favorite Praises
Finally, here are some favorite passages I use to praise God. I highlight the praises in blue on my bible app on my phone.
- Psalm 1:1-3
- Psalm 3:3-4
- Psalm 5: 11-12
- Psalm 7:17
- Psalm 8:1-4,9
- Psalm 9:1-2,9-11
- Psalm 13:5
- Psalm 16
- Psalm 18:1-3
- Most of Psalm 19
- Psalm 23
- Psalm 24:7-10
- Your job is to keep praising God and working on this list. There are many more praises and chapters. See Bible Gateway and look up more verses.
Pleas
Psalm 4 :1 “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress, have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
- Psalm 5: 1-3
- Psalm 6:3
- Psalm 10:1
- Psalm 13:1-3
- Psalm 22:19
- Keep crying out to God and work on this list. From these chapters to the end.
Tips to Praise God
- Journal your laments to God.
- Pray David’s laments to God. Sometimes they are the same as ours.
- Journal your praises.
- Praise verses to God out loud or Praise God out loud.
- When you are feeling down pull out your phone and read and pray the Psalms.
- Sing your praises to God.
Hoping I encouraged you to turn to your bible and pray and praise God as David did in the Psalms. How to Praise God and change your thinking.
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