Intentional Praise 1

Psalm 34verse1-2 ‘I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.’

Anybody can praise God when the going is good or when they are in a good mood, but it takes faith and courage to praise God when the going is tough or rough. This is the kind of situation that King David found himself in our text scripture (Psalm 34verse1-2). He was in a very difficult situation in life. King Abimelech had asked him to leave his place of abode once he learned who David was. Essentially, David had to roam about from one wilderness to another. It was in the midst of this crisis that he wrote this Psalm. David chose to be intentional with his praise. This is what God also expects you and me to do. We need to be intentional with our praise. So what does it mean to be intentional with your praise?

It means:

I. Choosing to praise God whether you feel like it or not. It is decisional praise. This is the kind of praise that God also expects you to practice.Ps145v1-2

2. Praising God on purpose or regardless of whether you are in the mood or not. Ps138v2. I know that there are times when you are not in the mood or praising God, but that is the time to praise God the most. This is what King David also demonstrated in 2Sam12verse 16-20 (after the death of his baby). Similarly, the circumstances are not supposed to condition my praising God. My dear reader, intentional praise is praising God deliberately in spite of your dilemma. It’s also praising God on purpose and not out of pleasure. It’s praising God by design and not by default. Are you willing to tap into this dimension of praise?

3. it is praising God by your will or volition. Your will is a part of your soul. It’s your decision-making part of you. So intentional praise is about making up your mind to praise God. This is what intentional praise is all about. Ps69v30-31.

My dear brothers and sisters, are you ready to step into this dimension of praise? This dimension of praise will usher you into the miraculous and also provoke divine intervention. Acts16v25.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time for you to be intentional with your praise!

Other Scriptural References: Ps67v5-7:104v33:109v30:111v1: Jb1v20-22

Prayer for Today: Holy Spirit, help me to praise you by design and not by default; in Jesus name, amen.

CONFESSION: In the name of Jesus, I choose to be intentional with my praise! I refuse to allow the conditions of life to determine my praise. I refuse to allow my mood to stop me from praising God. I make this resolution and decision in Jesus’s name, amen.