BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES AND EXPRESSIONS OF PRAISE
Psalm 63:3-8 NKJV
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
If you have ever felt as if you were running out of ways to express praise to God, the book of Psalms can be a help. How David expresses his heart to the Lord is more than just a teaching lesson. David's inspired words can become our words. David's example can be used as a model for our lives.
David is talking directly to the Lord when he says, "...Your lovingkindness is better than life." One of the main things I have gleaned from the Psalms is that David believes God is good. Exceptionally good! And because of God's lovingkindness, David will express praise to God with his mouth and lift his hands to God. One of the most visible expressions of worship and praise is the lifting of our hands. We may clap for those we appreciate and admire, but we don't lift our hands. When guest speakers come to the church, I ask the church to give them a warm welcome, and everyone claps. But when it comes to God, He is worthy of our hands lifted up in His name.
God is the One who can satisfy our souls in the same way good food can satisfy our bodies. And again, David declares he will praise God with joyful lips. Joyful is the operative word here. We can't praise God with sorrowful lips. We may praise God through the sorrow, but there is joy in our expressions to God.
And David gives us an example of what to do in the night. Before TV and YouTube, when people would lie down at night, there were no external influences. The wealthy may have brought in musicians, but mostly, people were left with their thoughts. David chooses to remember God when he lies down and meditate on God if he wakes up during the night. This is a great way to calm a mind that wants to fixate on problems and all the other negatives that steal our sleep.
David knows that God has been his help. And therefore, David chooses to live close to Him. We have no basis for believing that God has wings, so under the shadow of God's wings is a metaphor of closeness to God. But the idea of a bird sheltering her young under her wings is a beautiful picture of staying close to the Lord and His protection.
David has a heart for God and follows close, knowing that it is God who will help and sustain him.
APPLICATION
Expressing your heart to the Lord in the way David did may appear different or strange. Lifting your hands in worship may not have been a part of your tradition or upbringing. But David, his words, and his example, are in the Scriptures for a reason. Given how successfully David navigated the challenges he faced, we should assume he had it right. He praised a lot and won a lot, and it stands to reason there is a connection.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, You are my strength, my help, and my healer. You are the One who has given me life. I will praise and bless You as long as I live.