CONTINUAL PRAISE
“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:1-4
Is there ever a time when the Lord should not be praised? We all agree that God is always worthy and deserving of our praise, but most of us would have to admit that our praise for Him is not as consistent as it ought to be. David expressed his purpose to bless the Lord “at all times,” and “continually.” He was, as we should be, determined to continually praise the Lord. We should certainly give the Lord our sincere praise in our public worship services each time we assemble together. This is one of the blessings of congregational worship – giving Jesus the glory He deserves. Yet, like David, we should develop the habit of praising the Lord at “all times.”
There is never a time that it is inappropriate to worship the Lord. If we are going to seek to bless the Lord at all times, we must be able to praise Him in good times and in difficult or trying times. It also means we praise Him when we feel like it and when we don’t feel like it. Our emotions or circumstances cannot be allowed to dictate when we give God the glory. We should worship Him whether others give Him glory or not. If we let others determine when we bless the Lord, we will not be as consistent as we should be. A lifestyle of praise is possible if we take it seriously.
David also refers to praising the Lord before other people: “My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear.” Continual praise includes telling others how good God has been to us. We should also praise the Lord with other people. David encourages others to “magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” It is a wonderful thing when God’s people lift their hearts together in thanksgiving and praise to God for His goodness.
Then David gives a motivation to our continual praise, the acknowledging of God’s deliverance blessings: “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Remembering God’s goodness in our lives, the specific answers to prayer, and the victories we have experienced through His grace, should keep our hearts in an attitude of continual praise.