Life Of IntegritySample

"David's Praise"

Do you have a morning routine? Me too! First coffee, then shower, then dress, and then breakfast. That first cup of coffee often dictates my entire morning! If I forget it, for some reason, my entire morning is thrown off. Even if I purposefully skip the coffee, somehow I end up running late.

That cup is the jolt of energy I need to get through my shower quicker and get dressed faster, so I can have time for breakfast. It also affects my mood. I’m cranky if I don’t get it, and quite frequently, I’ll get a splitting headache if I wait too late in the day for a cup. It’s a love/hate relationship! Sometimes you just need an extra kick into your day.

Psalm 42 reminds me of this in a way. David pants for the presence of the Lord (v1). He remembers how good it is when we lead the way with praise (v4). Praise should be the thing that propels us into our days – like coffee launches me into my morning routine. David reminds us that we need to start our day/event/life/relationship with praise – not just prayer, but praise.

There is something powerful that happens when we put God first and lift Him up to where He should be. Our lives become aligned, streamlined, and arranged in the proper order, and everything – even our morning cup of coffee – becomes easier.

Too often we get busy in our day and our prayer life isn’t founded in praise, but in nagging requests and endless lists of wants. When praise is the backdrop to your life, you can pray from a place of victory!

How do you start your day? Are you praising God first? How could your life be better aligned if you put praise first? Why not start now and praise God for his blessings and faithfulness.