iBelieve - Christian Women Inspirational Devotionals

A Heart Postured for Praise
Your Nightly Prayer
by Britt Mooney

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1

SOMETHING TO PONDER

There are moments when praise comes naturally.

We get overwhelmed with happiness when something amazing happens. We got the job we wanted. The man of our dreams proposes marriage. Depending on the situation, praise to people or God erupts from us without any prompting. These are wonderful times.

But they’re also rare.

Most of life has a mix of good and bad, struggle and victory. Other seasons are marked by great trouble. During these times, we don’t feel like praising God.

And yet the Bible calls us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). The apostle Paul doesn’t add a qualifier, “if you feel like it.” As a man who had suffered for the faith and learned how to worship in prison (Acts 16:25), he knew the greater praise. One of the choices.

We don’t praise God because we feel like it. It’s nice when we do, but that’s not the reason. We praise God because he’s worthy of it. He’s already accomplished amazing works. He’s already given us precious promises. We require no more reason to praise his name.

Psalm 9:1 expresses a clear choice. “I will give thanks to the Lord, with all my heart.” The choice isn’t a half-hearted one. We intentionally and willfully turn our whole attention to the Lord to give thanks. Praise is vocal, out loud, sharing about all the great things God has already done. “I will tell of your wonderful deeds.” This is the secret: when we choose to give open thanks to God for his amazing works, not out of emotionalism but because he’s worthy. Temporary situations can’t make the eternal and unchanging God unworthy.

In the ordinary, in the difficult, we posture our hearts for praise from this motivation. We choose to focus on his loving and merciful deeds and praise him with gratitude.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Heavenly Father,
I choose to praise you today, not because I feel like it, but because you are worthy. You have already done marvelous deeds and given promises that won’t fail. Teach me to rejoice in every season, whether in joy or sorrow. Like Paul in prison, let my praise come to you as a testimony of trust. With all my heart, I give you thanks and declare your wonderful deeds. You are good and faithful forever.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. What are some moments you remember where it was easy to praise? What about times that seemed impossible to praise God?

2. What are the works and deeds of God that make him worthy of praise in every situation? List at least 10.

3. How can you praise God right now for those deeds you listed?

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Britt Mooney Britt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non-fiction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.