Why Praise God?

Wrapping up this mini-series on Psalm 100, I appreciate how that psalm ends.  (Of course, God knew better than me when He inspired this psalm.)

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalms 100:5 NIV

https://psalm.bible/psalm-100-5

If someone cynical were to push back on the imperatives within this psalm and ask why they should praise God, this verse explains some reasons why that is exactly the right and appropriate thing to do.  In the same way, for those who worship God but have gotten tired and worn down from life, this call to worship is a reminder of why praise to God is still a good idea, even on difficult and wearying days.

While we aren’t limited to these reasons, we thank and praise God because He is good, His love endures, and He is faithful.  The attributes and acts of God outweigh the frustrations, temptations, and distractions that try to pull us away from worshiping Him.

• On the days when we are exhausted, God is faithful, and we can thank Him for the strength that He gives us.
• On the days when we hurt, God is good, and we can praise Him for the restoration that He will give us (whether in this life or the next).
• On the days when we’re fighting with our friends, our family, or others around us (especially when we have done something to make them justifiably angry), God loves us, and we can thank Him for His forgiveness.

We do not come to church and worship God (as well as when we worship God outside of a church service) merely because we enjoy it, or because we feel like it, or because we don’t have anything else to do.  We praise God because He is who He is: He – Yahweh – is God.

Perhaps you’ve gotten caught up in a lot of other things, whether your expectations from others, suffering that you’re enduring (whether physical, mental, spiritual, or relational), or other things that pull away your attention.  I suspect that each of us has fallen victim to one or more of these things at times, so this isn’t about looking backwards.  Instead, it is about looking forward: How do we prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies to worship God, so that we regain the joy of entering a place where we are ready to worship God?  How do we restore a heart that loves God so much that unrestrained praise is the only outlet that we have for this love, even if it costs us something to worship?

I hope that you have some time today to reflect on all of Psalm 100 (perhaps having memorized it over the past week).  Just read or listen to the inspired words of the psalmist, and then seek to do exactly what the psalm calls God’s people to do.

From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 27, 2022

References:

• The Lookout, November 27, 2022, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
• Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
• The College Press NIV Commentary, Psalms, Volume 2, Walter D. Zorn, © 2004, College Press Publishing Co., Joplin, MO.