“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” (v1-6,11-13)
This Psalm seems very straightforward – it’s sole purpose is praising the Lord for who He is, and what He has done. Easy, right?
Well, one thing it leaves out is “when” to praise the Lord – it doesn’t give any instruction on that. No hint at a time or a day of the week. What does that mean for us today? Well, that probably means that there are no limitations on when we should praise God.
Other passages expand on when God is to be praised: “From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.” (Psa 113:3) “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psa 34:1) “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (Heb 13:15)
Perhaps the author did not clarify a “time to praise” because they knew praise should be consistent and endless. The author also fails to mention any situational conditions under which praise is appropriate – probably because praise is due God no matter the circumstance, good or bad.
In a prayer for deliverance, Jeremiah has this plea: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” (Jer 17:14) He was facing immense persecution and sickness – while pleading for healing and deliverance he still praises God. Clearly praise is not conditional on circumstance.
One of my favorite examples of praising God in the midst of circumstances is from Paul as he is in prison: “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Php 4:11b-13,19-20)
I don’t know where you are at today, or what your circumstances are, but I encourage us both to praise the Lord no matter what time and circumstance we find ourselves in. I’d like to share a quote that’s a personal favorite: “When you feel abandoned by God but continue to trust Him, you worship Him in the deepest way.” (Steve Gladen, Small Groups With Purpose) I think trusting and praising God in the worst of times is one of the hardest things we can do, yet it is one of the greatest ways we can honor Him and love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind.
Father God, thank you for the encouragement we find in Your word. Your people, many of whom have faced far worse circumstances than we could imagine (Job for example) still manage to trust and praise You. Please Father, be gracious with us as we learn to praise You at all times in all situations. Please gently remind us to remain rooted in Your praise, and please help us to gently remind each other as well. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training