By Kristine Brown

“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30 NIV

As I began my prayer time this morning, so many needs came to mind. I started right away calling out those needs to God. I love bringing requests to Him in my prayers and trusting His faithfulness to provide in each situation. I also love thanking Him for the blessings in my life. But I realized as I prayed, that I’d left out one important thing. Besides praying and giving thanks, I’d forgotten to praise God.

The psalmist David reminds us in Psalm 69:30 how important it is to give God our best praise, along with our gratitude. David demonstrates a valuable truth through his example of praising the Lord while giving Him thanks. Even in the most difficult times when we are surrounded by discouragement, praise and thanksgiving together will make a difference. They can transform our hearts.

Praising God brings us into His presence. Bringing worship and a grateful heart before the Lord deepens our relationship with Him.

Adding worship to our prayers changes our conversations with God. It creates a beautiful atmosphere where His presence can be felt as we pray. So I’m pausing to add praise into my prayers of gratitude today. Will you join me? As we pray, let’s praise the Lord for who He is and thank Him for what He’s done.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I worship you because you are Almighty God. You are worthy of my praise each day. Thank you for your faithfulness to me, whatever I’m going through in my life. Forgive me for forgetting to worship you in a way that you deserve. I want to offer you my best praise for who you are.

The more I worship you, Lord, the more I sense your presence in my life. You are a merciful and loving Father. I praise the name of your son, Jesus, who died so that those who believe can have eternal life with you. Thank you for that amazing promise. You are awesome and wonderful.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, 

Amen.