Wholehearted Praise

I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all the marvelous things You have done. PSALM 9:1 NLT

When it comes to praising God, it can be easy to get distracted and lose focus. Our hearts may want to bend under the weight of our daily lives and the pressures that come with living in this world. But if we want to praise God with our whole hearts, we commit to being fully focused on Him.

Commitment requires concentration, and the world is ﬁlled with distractions. There are constant issues and complications that are clamoring for our attention. We have deadlines and duties to attend to. At times it can seem like we are trying to carve a straight arrow from crooked wood.

The good news is that we can lay our arrow down at the feet of Jesus. We can tell Him about the knots in our hearts and the imperfections we face that keep us from praising Him with our whole hearts. We can confess our sins and cast our concerns on Christ, because He cares for us.

Take a moment to dwell on the marvelous craftmanship of God in your life. Give some thought to the wonders and miracles that God has performed for you. Thank Him for going before you and for walking beside you, for carving out your path and your future, for working out all the bumps, knots, and burls.

Remember that God has called us to praise Him with all of our hearts and to speak of His marvelous works. He cares for us and He loves us, and He has amazing and awesome adventures appointed for our lives. We cannot even begin to fathom the goodness He has in store for us.

With all these things in mind, ask the Holy Spirit to help you commit your whole heart to praising God. Allow Jesus to ﬁll your heart with the wonder of who He is. Then, take aim and let your arrow ﬂy! Let your whole heart soar with praise as you declare the wonders of the Lord.

PRAYER

God, I look to the skies and praise You, for You have created the stars. You lead them, and You count each one, calling each of them by name. By Your might and the strength of Your power, not one of them goes missing. I sing praises to You alone, You who do great wonders. Your path is in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust beneath Your feet. I worship You, for Your lovingkindness is great—above the heavens—and Your truth reaches to the skies. Amen.

This is an excerpt from Morning Gratitude: Inspiring Moments to Start Your Day by Pray.com – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.