Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
When to Praise God
Over the last few weeks, my posts have been about praising God. Today I want to discuss when to praise God. Many of the posts have already touched on why we should praise God. I also talked about how to praise God and where to praise God. So that left the question of when to praise God. When talking about where to praise God, before giving specific examples, I mentioned that we could really praise God anywhere. And likewise, when it comes to when to praise God, we can praise Him at any time. However, in this post, I would still like to discuss specific examples. And I will share a Psalm that will help you in these scenarios.
1 – When things are going well. It might seem obvious to praise God when things in life are going well, but I feel like this is often overlooked. When things in life are going well, many times we don’t give God a second thought. When life is good and we are being showered with blessings, we should praise Him and thank Him for all He does for us. Many of the Psalms are hymns or thanksgiving songs. So if you need a place to start, you can use an appropriate Psalm to get you on the right path. Psalm 100 is a favorite of mine.
2 – When things are not going well. I wrote about this in another post a couple of weeks ago. Many of us are quick to run to God and ask for His help when things are not going well. But we might stop short of praising Him. Praising God during difficulties is not a natural response for most of us. But as I mentioned in a prior post, praising God in our troubles will help turn our outlook around. Yes, we will face trials in life. But when we praise Him, in the midst of a storm, it helps us to remember that God is still in control and will see us through whatever we are facing. It’s also ok to cry out to God for help when we need it. Many of the Psalms are considered laments. Lamenting to the Lord helps us to pour out our concerns to Him, while it reminds us that He is still God, He is still on the throne, and He has the ability to help us with what we are facing. If you are looking for a Psalm that reminds you that God will get you through whatever you are facing, Psalm 121 is another favorite of mine.
3 – When we are repentant. If we have sinned and grieved God, it’s essential to first confess to God in prayer. But I believe thanking God for showing us that we have made a mistake and thanking God for forgiving us is important as well. Psalm 51 was written by David after he committed adultery. However, it is also a beautiful Psalm that you can read at any time when you want to draw closer to the Lord.
4 – When we are weary. Perhaps you have just been going through the motions of life, and your days are a bit humdrum. Or maybe you feel lost and don’t know which way to go. Praising God will help get you back on track. Psalm 23 is a well known Psalm and it is also very comforting when life has you feeling disoriented.
5 – When we are waiting. Whether we are sitting and waiting in a doctor’s office, or waiting for a breakthrough, I believe it’s safe to say that no one likes waiting. When we are waiting, we tend to feel restless. We might even be anxious or worried. Praising God in our waiting reminds us that He is in control and that His timing is not our timing. In these times, Psalm 27 would be a good place to start.
6 – When we need protection. If we are traveling or if we feel our safety is at risk, praising God will help us feel better about what we are facing. We will remember that God has us in the palm of His hand. And praying through Psalm 91 will also bring you comfort.
These are just a few examples. I could list out many more scenarios. But I think you get the idea. No matter what we are facing, praising God will bring joy and peace into our lives. It will help turn our monotonous moments into treasured times. Praising God draws us closer to Him and helps us to feel His presence. Who doesn’t need more of that? I hope this post helps. If you have anything to add from your own life, please share in the comments!
© 2020 Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 
Love the psalms that you put in. Psalm 91, 121 and 23 are some of my favourites. I often find that I turn towards psalms and they just lift my soul. We can indeed praise the Lord anywhere, everywhere and all the time but it is good to break it down specifically as we can sometimes be so caught up in our situation that praise may not be so readily on our lips.
Thanks for sharing this Bridget 💙.
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I agree! The 3 Psalms you mentioned are some of my favorites too. What a comfort they bring. And yes you are right – depending on what we are going through, praise is often something we neglect. I hope we can all do better about this so that it becomes more of a habit. 💜
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Yes, it is so easy to forget to praise God both in good times and bad. It can be very difficult to praise Him when things are tough, but you’re so right, it does help to praise Him in life’s storms. I’m thankful that He never changes even when life changes or we change towards Him, and that He reminds us and helps us to praise Him. He is faithful even when we aren’t faithful and He never leaves us nor forsakes us. ❤
Thank you for all the work you have put into your pieces on praise. They have been very encouraging to me, Bridget. ❤
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I couldn’t agree with you more! “I’m thankful that He never changes even when life changes or we change towards Him, and that He reminds us and helps us to praise Him. He is faithful even when we aren’t faithful and He never leaves us nor forsakes us.” Yes and Amen! God is so good to us!!! What a loving Father we have!!! 🥰 Tina, I am so glad to know you have been enjoying the series and getting some encouragement out of it!!! ✝️
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Encouraging praise is so important to keep us on track and positive❤️
Love these truths you have here!!
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And how amazing it is that God gave us His word to apply to each and every scenario! He is such a loving Father! Thanks for stopping by! ❤️
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Love your blog.
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Thank you so much! Your blog looks wonderful as well! 💕
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