Vow to Praise

"But I have trusted in You lovingkindness; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalm 13:5-6

This verse is one I have memorized years ago. It wasn't until this morning as I was reviewing it that it stuck out. My study notes on this verse refer me to Psalm 7:17, "I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." The study notes on this verse says it's "A vow to praise. Many prayers in the Psalter include such vows in anticipation of the expected answer to prayer. They reflect Israel's religious consciousness that praise must follow deliverance as surely as prayer springs from need - if God is to be truly honored."

My morning devotional dealt with worry. Ah, my old and faithful friend who just doesn't want to go away. I liked what the last part of the devotional said.

"Even wise philosophy shows the uselessness of worrying, since it helps nothing, and only wastes one's strength and unfits one for doing one's best. Then religion goes farther, and says that even the hard things and the obstacles are blessings, if we meet them in the right spirit - stepping stones lifting our feet upward, disciplinary experiences in which we grow. So we learn that we should quietly and with faith accept life as it comes to us, fretting at nothing, changing hard conditions to easier if we can; if we cannot, then using them as means for growth and advancement." - J. R. Miller, D. D., from the book "Come Ye Apart."

So, in light of this devotional I got to thinking about the vow to praise. We worry about what we need to be praying about. How about praising God for what He will do through those things we worry about? And on the other side, once those prayers are answered we must remember to thank the Lord for it.

Krista Jones
5.13.08