Psalm 111
Your Story
Talk about a time when you felt like you praised the Lord with your whole heart. How did it feel?
My Story and the Bible Story
I love going to conferences and retreats. Conferences mean long days of learning from lots of different speakers. They mean thousands and thousands of people, which is pretty tiring for me. But they also mean worship. They mean singing praises to God with thousands of other people. They mean taking a break from regular life and spending time focused on God. It’s during these times when we are singing to God that I feel most like I praise the Lord with my whole heart. I am focused only on God in those moments, and no matter what is happening in my life, it is easier to praise God.
Have you ever sung a song as loud as you could? Have you ever sung a song at the top of your lungs to the radio? When you sing a song like that, you let go of everything else. Your only focus is that song. And it makes you feel great. God wants us to do that too. When we praise the Lord with our whole hearts, it feels great because it reminds us of all that God has done.
Read Psalm 111. From the NIV: Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
“To him belongs eternal praise.” We praise God because God deserves it. Praise belongs to God. Great are the works of the Lord. God’s deeds are majestic and God remembers God’s people. God is faithful and just. We can trust God, who provides for us and walks beside us. God is gracious and compassionate. And when we worship God with our whole hearts, we remember all that God has done for us. When we focus on God, we realize that things like video games or trophies don’t really matter much. The Creator of the Universe created us and we get to worship God. We get to sing praise to God’s name. And when we focus on God, everything else becomes clearer. It is easier to understand what God wants us to do when we are focused on God. It’s easier to be nice to others or to help others when we are focused on God. It’s easier to serve others when we are focused on God. So remember that feeling you get when you sing a song as loud as you can. And sing a song of praise to God. Sing it as loud as you can and focus on God. You’ll be glad you did!
Discussion and Prayer
• What are your favorite songs of praise to God?
• As a family, talk about how you can incorporate songs of praise into your everyday lives. Maybe that means singing worship songs while you do the dishes, or playing them as everyone gets ready in the morning.
• How can you worship God this week?
Pray, thanking God for who God is and what God has done. Praise God for God’s mighty deeds. Thank God for always being there for us and for being reliable. We can always trust God.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
