Choose to Worship

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

As I read the first two verses of Psalm 9 (above), I couldn't help but notice that each statement begins with "I will". In other words, each statement is a willful determination, a purposeful choice. 

And when I give wholehearted thanks to the Lord, when I recount His wonderful deeds, when I gladly exult in Him and when I sing praises to His name, I am worshiping my God! 

I thank God for salvation, for my family, for my friends, that I have a roof over my head and food in my stomach. I thank God for His transforming Word, for church and Bible study groups. I thank God for sunshine and rain, for His beautiful creation, for the graceful deer I love to watch as they drink from the pond behind our home. I thank God for the awesome way in which our bodies are made.  And as I give thanks to Him, I feel more positive and joyful than I did before. 

Yesterday, as I snuggled with my three-year-old granddaughter, we talked about how God takes care of us. She is preoccupied with giants—mean giants. So when her active imagination had us playing that a mean giant was coming, I started singing "Only a Boy Named David", which we acted out every time a "mean giant was coming". Then I shared with her lots of Bible stories where God fought for His people (the hail storms to keep the enemies away, the times when God confused the enemies so they fought each other, etc.). I explained that just as God took care of His people then, He will take care of her. We also sang, "God Is Bigger than the Boogie Man" from one of the Veggie Tales videos. It was a great time of recounting some of God's wonderful deeds and putting fears to rest. 

Of course, I could also recount His wonderful deeds in my life. For example, when I decided to leave my full-time position at Alfred University to become a part-time church secretary, there was no way I could write up a budget that balanced. I worked and reworked it before accepting the position. Yet I truly believed that was where God wanted me. Incredibly, we never lacked what we needed. Not because anyone gave us money or groceries as we often hear of, but because God stretched our income to cover our necessities even when the planned budget was insufficient. 

Plus I can recall those times when I cried out to God and He brought a Bible verse to mind that brought peace. Of course, that presupposes that I know enough Scripture for Him to speak to me in that way. I especially remember crying out to God, "I can't take anymore!" Immediately 1 Corinthians 10:13 came to mind: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 

There are many situations too personal to share here, but God has worked in my life, and in my family's lives; I can recount those times and take comfort in them, be strengthened by them and move forward, trusting Him to continue to work and provide. I can take my eyes off myself, off my situations, and focus on Him. I can be glad and exult in my God, expressing my praises to Him, whether shouted, sung or written.

[Scripture quotations in this post are from the English Standard Version]