“Enter His gates with thanksgiving;

go into His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

-Psalm 100:4 (NLT)

Thanksgiving, gratitude, blessings. It may seem cliché but these words are on my heart today. Psalm 100 is short but powerful. David has this Psalm jammed packed with ways we are to be thankful and praise God for what we have.

Shout. Worship. Sing. Several action words within the first two verses tell us ways to praise God for all His blessings He has given to us. 

Shouting means you are bringing strong emotion. Think of the last time you shouted something. It could have been out of excitement, like at a sports event. It could be a shout of fright, like when we are scared by a sound or an unknown shadow as we walk to our car in a dark parking lot. A shout of caution may escape us when our child or fur baby has something that could cause harm, and we have to grab their attention. We should shout to the Lord to tell Him how thankful we are to have Him in our lives. We should also shout it so that others can hear. Now I don’t recommend going up to a stranger and literally shouting (even though it may grab their attention quickly), but I think it does mean to have so much emotion for what God has given you that you can’t help but tell others.

According to the Webster Dictionary, ‘worship’ means to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion. That literally says it all! We are to give praise and thanksgiving to God with honor and respect, understanding how great He truly is, and be so devoted that we do it consistently, not just on a holiday or two.

Signing is a beautiful and poetic way to express our thoughts and feelings. When we praise God by singing, we don’t have to have perfect singing voices (I definitely do NOT!) b,ut we are to sing with our heart the goodness of God. 

Give it a try today:

• SHOUT out God’s goodness in a room just with you and God…or better yet, talk to someone about what God has done in your life.
• WORSHIP in your own way, from a prayer walk, journaling, drawing, reading scripture, listening to worship songs, and/or any action that brings you closer to God.
• Sing like no one is listening but God!

–💜Fuel your faith. Build your foundation. Live it out. ✝️

A rhythm of reflection and real faith, one day, one post, one spark at a time.