Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Praising God Wholeheartedly
Over the last couple of weeks I have been discussing the importance of praising God. David was a great example of someone in the Bible who praised the Lord often. In fact, David wrote 73 of the 150 Psalms. There is one particular story concerning David which illustrates the importance of praising God, and the consequences of not praising God.
In 2 Samuel 6, we read about David and his men bringing the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem. David was “rejoicing” (v 12) and “David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets” (v 14-15). This is a beautiful picture of the king of Israel praising the Lord.
However, there is another person in this story who doesn’t have the same attitude. David had a wife named Michal, who also happened to be the daughter of Saul. Michal “watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.” While picturing David’s praise brought something sweet to the story, picturing Michal’s disgust brings a sour taste.
But the story doesn’t end there. When David arrived at home, Michal told him exactly how she felt. She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would” (v 20). But David didn’t back down.
He replied to her, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by the slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor” (v 21-22).
The worst part of the story is yet to come. In verse 23 it says, “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” How very sad that the story ended this way for her.
But it is a good reminder of the importance of praising God with our whole heart. David didn’t care what other people thought of him. His eyes were on God and His opinion. That is why David was called a man after God’s own heart. The Lord wants us to seek Him wholeheartedly. And when we praise Him, He can see and feel our love pouring out.
© 2020 Bridget A. Thomas
Photo courtesy of Pexels.
Bridget A. Thomas 
Such an important reminder. It makes me think of Galatians 1:10 .
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
It is rewarding to serve the Lord. ❤ Thanks for sharing, Bridget.
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Thank you, Tina. Good point about Galatians 1:10. When we keep Jesus in the center of everything and always focus on Him, we will have no regrets. ❤️
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I don’t think I’ve ever praised God that exuberantly. Granted, I can’t dance anymore due to injuries; however, I need to learn to cultivate that jubilation in my heart.
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The Lord will be happy with any kind of praise, as long as our heart is in it ❤️
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Praying God with my whole heart, as David said is exactly what he did. And I think that would also mean to praise Him when our heart is heavy with a burden but we offer Him genuine praise because of who He is. I have yet a ways to get to that place but am on my way taking baby steps as I grow in my spiritual journey.
I was talking with a friend about the good and the not so good parts of doing church online. And one of the things we talked about was the freedom to worship during praise without bothering about what it might look like to others. Your post reminded me of that.
Blessings to you dear friend 😊💙.
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Such a good point. When I am in church, I feel a little awkward during praise because of the other people around. So sometimes I will close my eyes and pretend it’s just me and God. But at home or in my car, I feel that there is more freedom. And yes, I know what you mean about praising during difficult times. It is not always easy, especially if you are really feeling down. But if you can get yourself to that point, you will be amazed at how much it improves your mood and sense of peace with whatever is going on. Thank you for commenting. Blessings to you too, my friend! 💜
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What a great reminder to praise God through it all and not be like the Mrs. Her bitterness got her nowhere. I’m guilty of not always praising Him, especially during hard times. I ask Him to soften my heart daily!
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Such a good point! It can be difficult to praise Him in hard times. I will actually be talking about that next week. So stay tuned! ❤️
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I look forward to reading that! 🙂
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You are so right!! We need to praise Him…praising has the potential to give such a positive feeling to that which might be negative
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Yes so very true! And that is exactly what I plan to talk about next week! Thanks for stopping by! 🌹
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Awesome, can’t wait!!❤️
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