Reflect
Why is praise such an important part of prayer? Again and again in Scripture, we are told of the need to praise God–but why? Do you think God needs our praise? Or is something else going on? What if the praise we offer God is really for us? A reminder that we are not the center of the universe, that there is something more. A reminder to look up, and to look beyond the surface of daily life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Creator of all things, on the sixth day,
when you were finished making the
universe and everything that lives within it,
you praised your own creation.
I ask you, Lord, to open my lips and let praise pour forth,
that I may become more like you.
Act
Make a list of three things for which you are grateful. It could be your home, your job, your family, your health, or a special friend. Next, choose something (or someone) from your list and write down one thing that makes that person or that thing special to you. It could be a friend’s smile, sunlight on the leaves, the first sip of coffee on a cold winter morning, or the shade of an oak tree on a warm afternoon. Name it. Lastly, thank God for it, because gratitude is the beginning of praise.
