~ Prayer of Praise ~

“Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
How awesome is the Lord Most High,
the great King over all the earth!”
—Psalm 47:1-4

Oh our most wonderful, omnipotent Lord, how often we forget that we are all in your hand! How thankful we are to be here! How grateful we are that you love us and see us not as bad sheep gone astray but as your beloved children who are returning home to you. We feel the great love working to bring us all together again with you in safety and peace. Thank you, O God, for keeping our hearts in your care. Thank You, O God, for keeping your hand on all world leaders. Thank You, O God, for being with us, in all life, in all love, in all peace and joy, goodness and growth.

Praise is the most amazing thing--it doesn’t just shine a light in the darkness, it turns the darkness into light! No matter what the outer world looks like, we always have something to praise--God’s love, God’s presence, the very fact that we live! If we have eyes to see it, we can know there is love all around us, given to us moment by moment, day by day. The psalmist says we should praise the Lord “seven times a day.” How many times do we stop to really say thank you during the day? We can pay attention to our hearts today and find out whether they are singing a grateful or a gloomy song.