Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good

Good. Great. Sovereign. Just. Mighty. The psalmist certainly got it right when he chronicled the reasons we should praise the Lord. Interestingly, in Psalm 135, the psalmist begins with the fact that God is good. Only through the lens of understanding his goodness can we see reason to praise. It gives us context for why God does what he does, even if we don’t understand. God is good. Continuously. Persistently. Permanently. Nothing can alter his goodness.

As I exit 2023 and approach the new year, this is a perspective I want to hold on to. This year has taught me a lot about the importance of not only giving thanks to God, but speaking my gratitude through praise. Praise cements my sentiments.

I praise him for his goodness to me. He provided special times with my family, satisfaction from my work, and warm fellowship in my church. I also praise him for his goodness in comforting me through some unanswered prayers and unsettling situations. He enabled me to let go of disappointments, big and small.

I realize the more I chose to praise God in my circumstances, the more I was able to see his goodness. In fact, I started looking for it! I could have focused on the negative aspects of many situations, but praising God through them helped me not get engulfed by the pain. Acknowledging his goodness not only gave honor to whom honor was due, but it increased my love for him.

So I guess I’m as ready for 2024 as I can be. I’m armed with a mindset of his prevailing goodness. Are you? May I encourage you to think about how God has been good to you this past year? Then praise him for it. Let the awareness of his goodness overshadow everything else, and take that awareness with you in the upcoming days.

Father, I pray we won’t be blinded to all the ways you show your goodness to us. Help us cultivate a life of praise and gratitude to you, the giver of every good thing.

Throughout the Day: How about we commit to praising God for his goodness throughout this day, and then the next, and the next?