Let the praise of God always be on our lips (Psalm 34)

Let the praise of God be always on our lips!  So says Psalm 34. On first reading that opening phrase, it seems a tall order doesn’t it. No?  Then you praise God all the time?  Your lips never utter any less exalted sentiments? Join the heavenly band now – you have earned it.

Fortunately for most of us, the psalm goes on to say “my soul glories in my God... I do try to seek Yahweh, and I find that he answers me... so will you help me to proclaim him? Let us together extol his praise! ”  Now that’s more like it, we think, as we feel the attractiveness of that God our soul is always seeking – who doesn’t feel that pull towards him at times?  That soul-stirring joy that makes us say: “it’s good to be here!” Of course we do – that is what we were made for. As the next stanza says: “he frees us from our fears so that every face turned to him grows brighter” – what a lovely image. Praising God, and thanking him for all he does for us, frees us from the things that keep us away from him, and even our everyday faces become beautiful – it really happens.  You don’t need beauty aids then – you need God.

Frances Taylor realised this very early on in her life.  She loved this psalm and often prayed it during her sleepless nights in her later years.  She believed we should really try to live lives of praise – “Give thanks to God in everything you do” she advised those young women who thronged to join her new Congregation.  Not so easy, but possible if we really try?  The benefits are astounding.  And in any case we want to look beautiful, don’t we!!  Everyone loves a person who looks on the bright side, someone who really tries to find the good in people, in situations, in the lovely things around us. I know I feel a whole lot better when someone says to me “Thank you, that was great!”  It brings a glow, doesn’t it? On this lovely day in late November, we are inspired by the beginnings of Thanksgiving Day, and how the people of America still remember with gratitude, those early North American Indian tribes who reached out to the newcomers, and shared their love, their food, the little they had.  What a gift, and what a response of love this day is.  St. Paul echoes Psalm 34 when he reminds the people of Corinth how much we will be like God himself when we live in that way:

                We, with our unveiled faces reflect like a mirror the brightness of the Lord.

                All of us will grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image we reflect.

                This is the work of the Lord, who is Spirit.                              1 Corinthians 3: 18.

A habit of saying thanks will do that for us.  We will be surrounded by beauty! Have a lovely thanksgiving.