Scripture:
Acts 18:9-18
John 16:20-23
Reflection:
"God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise." PS 47: 6-7
Learning to praise the Lord in word and song has been a very important part of my spiritual journey and is now a big part of my prayer life. I grew up praying our traditional prayers, and I still love them and pray them every day. I especially like to pray the "Anima Christi" after communion. But I’ve also learned to simply praise the Lord… focusing on God’s attributes and getting lost in who God is.
I start saying the names of God and thinking about who God is…"Praise You Lord, You are the Living Word and the Bread of Life. You are my Hiding Place, my Savior, and my Provider. You are the great I AM. You are my Shepherd, my Rock, my Deliverer" and so on. When I focus on who God is, my heart starts rejoicing and I am filled with thanksgiving. I am then much more able to be quiet and listen to the Lord, or I can just enjoy basking in His presence. God is SO GOOD!!!
Praise ushers us into God’s throne room. We read in Ps. 100: 4, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." Praise takes us right up to God’s throne! I can’t get in to see President Obama without great difficulty, if ever, but I can come into the courts of the King of kings and the Lord of lords whenever I want to!!! How awesome is that?
Another great thing about praising God in all situations is that it keeps our minds off of our problems. When we choose to praise God even when things aren’t going so well, we are trusting Him to provide for us and take care of things. It saves a lot of time and energy that we might otherwise spend worrying or trying to figure out the solution to the problem. Let’s praise God often for He alone is worthy of our praise. Let’s keep our eyes on God and rejoice in His amazing love!!!
I created a bookmark with many of the names of God found in a Litany of Praise. If you send me a SASE I will be happy to send you one. (You can get my address by emailing me.)
Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 2, soon to be 3. Visit her website: www.jcarleton.com or email her at [email protected]rg.