Gratitude and Praise

Praise the Lord!  How good it is to sing praises to our God! ~ Psalm 147:1
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. ~ William Arthur Ward


Do you remember the gratitude challenge a few years ago on Facebook? Facebook always seems to have one challenge or another that I typically ignore, but this one I didn't.

I've tried to add that challenge into my prayer life. While I've always known and believed the importance of it, it's been reinforced by studies that show that it isn't happy people who are grateful. It is grateful people who are happy.

And these days, when the headlines every day seem so dire, I think it is an especially important challenge to take up. When I'm inundated with sad and bad news every day, sitting down and taking some time to be grateful is a freeing experience.

And once I've established what I'm grateful for, praises to God seem to flow more easily from my lips.

Not perhaps that it should be that way. I'm sure God wishes that praise for creation, for God's grace, for love, would come naturally from our lips all the time.

But the truth of the matter is, we live in a world where we are pulled away from praising God constantly.  And a reminder of all the ways in which God deserves our praise might be a journey worth taking for our own spiritual and mental health.

The Psalmist certainly new how good it felt! 


God of grace and love, praise your name forever!  I am grateful for your love!  Help me to remember that gratitude always!  Amen. 
Thoughts for engagement:

Take the gratitude challenge this week: Find three or four things each day to be grateful for. And then, when you have, say a prayer of praise to God for them!








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