By Audrey Bauman

Thanksgiving is almost here, so this week we'll concentrate on scripture that helps us to praise and thank God for all he has done for us. I looked up the definitions of 'praise' and 'thankful' to see if they had similar meanings. Praise was defined as "the act of expressing approval or admiration, commendation and laudation - the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship". Thankful was defined as "feeling or expressing gratitude". (dictionary.com) They are somewhat similar, so praising God does express our thankfulness.

Today we'll start with a psalm that expresses gratitude for God's amazing creativity. Read the lines of the psalm slowly and take in what we are praising God for.

Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens!
     Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
     Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
     Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
     Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!

Stop for a moment and think about our universe. What do you know about the various planets and constellations? Can you name any of them? What impresses and/or delights you when you look up into the sky during the day or at night? 

5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
     for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
     His decree will never be revoked.

Reread those 2 verses. In your own words, what do those verses tell you? How mighty, intelligent, creative ....  is our God? Your God, the one who created and loves you.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
     you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,
     wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
     fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
     small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
     rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
     old men and children.

What is being praised in those 6 verses? Did you notice the opposite types of words? Praise the Lord from "the earth" and the "ocean depths". Praise the Lord for "wild animals and all livestock". Praise the Lord for "young men and young women, old men and children". God has created everything from the smallest to the largest, from the most insignificant to the most prominent. Nothing has gone unnoticed by God.

13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
     For his name is very great;
     his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
     honoring his faithful ones—
     the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

When you pray do you struggle to find different words to praise God. Today, read this psalm slowly as you begin to pray. Perhaps, even say it out loud. Soak in how amazing and wonderful your God is. I suspect if we did that, we would pray with more confidence as we grasp a little more how wonderful our God is.

Our song for today is How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin.