"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 150:6)
Welcome to PBS 31 Days of Praise!
All are invited to participate in this interactive devotional throughout the month of May. Please read through this introduction to Praise, which includes our intent and instructions on how to participate.
THE STRUCTURE
We are basing our Praise Commitment on the book by Ruth Myers, "31 Days of Praise: Enjoying God Anew." If you would like to receive a free copy of this book to follow along as we go through this commitment, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at: promisebiblestudy@gmail.com and we will send one to you. The book discusses why and how we praise God, and has 31 praise devotionals to use as daily inspiration. I will give a brief outline of what Ruth details warmly and passionately in her book. I encourage you to get a copy of the book, or go through scripture to explore the following concepts.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAISE
Through praise, you can:
- Strengthen your faith
- Tune into God's enriching presence
- Profit more from your trials
- Experience Christ as your life
- Overcome Satan and his strategies
- Bring glory and pleasure to God
HOW TO PRAISE
Ruth likens praise to a "beautiful crown adorned with two brilliant jewels. One jewel is worship, and the other, thanksgiving." Worship, Praise, and Thanksgiving overlap, but here are a few examples which might help our understanding of what those words mean and how to use them:
WORSHIP is bowing before God in awe (admiring, adoring), honoring him (appreciating), and showing devotion. The key here is consenting to Him - giving him the reigns in our lives and agreeing that He can work through us. We enter a covenant with Him; we choose to let him be God of our lives.
THANKSGIVING is expressing gratitude for His love, His blessings and promises, His gifts, His wisdom, etc.
PRAISE encapsulates both of these elements, recognizing His sovereignty, his limitless power, his endless love. We exalt and magnify Him. This can be done quietly or aloud, privately or in a group, through speaking, singing, or silent reverence. We praise His name to others, and to Him directly.
WHEN TO PRAISE
"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1)
"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Throughout the Bible, we are instructed to praise God through all circumstances, in all times. No doubt through times of trial and daily distraction, this is difficult. Our Christian walk can feel draggy sometimes, our devotion dry. Yet these are the very moments when our faith is strengthened, our hearts softened, and our minds renewed. Time and again the Apostle Paul praised God through his struggles, and the Psalmist David was able to lament while never losing sight of God, whom He praised continuously, nonetheless. The Lord knows your circumstance; praise Him for his omnipotence, for remaining by your side at all times, even if you don't "feel it" in a given moment.
"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 4:7)
Ruth Myers reminds us in her book that "praise needs cultivating." It's a muscle to work out, strengthened by daily exercising of worship and thanksgiving. If we have truly received the Holy Spirit, we have a resource, an inexhaustible fount of inspiration within our very core.
The prince of this world will attempt to pull your attention and your affections away from this core, of which you will drink less and less, thus feeling hungry and thirsty, attempting to satiate yourself with worldly empty calories. But muster the strength to turn back toward the Living Waters and the Bread of Life that exists within you: each time you utter a prayer of thanksgiving or a thought of worship, you are taking a sip from His Cup. The more you sip, the more rejuvenated you will be, and the more fulfilling your life will become because you are acknowledging Him within it. You are kept safe and satisfied through praise.
PBS 31 DAYS OF PRAISE COMMITMENT
During the season of Lent, Promise Bible Study committed to 40 Days of Prayer. Each Day, we focused on a specific scripture passage, praying it, and contemplating a daily devotional written on the topic. (You can learn about the 40 Day Commitment HERE and read through the 40 Day Devotionals HERE. Please note that you can commit to 40 Days of Prayer anytime!). Many churches and communities were involved, all praying the same Word as the Body of Christ, unified.
As a result, prayers were answered, miracles abounded - all of which prompted the desire in us to share our testimonies of thanksgiving and report our praises. We welcome anyone - whether you participated in the 40 Day Prayer Commitment or not - to join us in this next season of obedience, 31 Days of Praise.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Again, if you would like to receive a copy of Ruth Myers book, please let us know. It is also available on Amazon. It is not necessary to have this book to participate; we are simply using it as a springboard for our format here online, and in our daily private devotional time. But the main point of this project is to collect testimonies, songs, poems, verses, shouts of thanksgiving, prayers of promises fulfilled - all things praise, great and small. We are doing this as faithful followers of Christ, whom, in His Word, instructs us to do so. We also do this as encouragement for the body of believers, and for bearing witness to those who yet need to invite Him in. Please share with us in this time of gratitude, fulfillment, and glory unto Him.
Send praise reports, and any questions, to: promisebiblestudy@gmail.com. Anything shared will remain anonymous, unless otherwise discussed.
We so look forward to delighting Him together.
Thank you!