Praise Habit

I have been reading this book called Praise Habit by David Crowder and it is all about clothing ourselves with habitual praise. When we think about praising God, we often think of worshiping on Sunday morning or listening to worship music. But God desires our lives to be living praise offerings to Him…every moment of our lives. David Crowder puts it this way “Every second is an opportunity for praise. There is a choosing to be made. A choosing each moment. This is the Praise Habit. Finding God moment by revelatory moment, in the sacred and the mundane, in the valley and on the hill, in triumph and tragedy, and living praise erupting because of it. This is what we were made for.”

Wow...do I see every moment as an opportunity for praise? Do I find myself in awe and wonder at who God is and all He has done? Do I praise God in the valley as well as on the hill? It is easy to praise God when things are going good and when we are feeling close to God, but what about in the valley, through the hurt and the pain? Do I praise God when my back is sore, when I look toward an unknown future, or just when I am doing my devotions or looking at the beauty of His creation?

He goes on in the book to talk about what praise is and how easily we give praise to others and seek praise ourselves. He talks about we effortlessly give praise to the things we like or the things that please us…but what about God. He says “what if we were so moved by who God is, what He’s done, what He will do, that praise, adoration, worship, whatever continuously careened in our heads and pounded in our souls?” Do I live so in awe of who God is and what He has done that praise naturally flows through me? Am I so passionate about loving God that praise is always on my heart and always on my lips?

Next he talks about habit, not only as something that we automatically do but also as the clothing that a nun wears. A nun’s habit is what covers her and defines who she is. A nun does not need to think of what to wear each morning because the habit is what she wears. The same is true for us. “Our habit is Christ. He is what covers us. He is what identifies us. We wear Him into every moment and when we live with this awareness, we PRAISE CHRIST.” What would my life look like if I wore Christ into every moment, if He were my identity, if He covered me? David Crowder goes on to say “What choice is there but to respond in praise? Praise is fundamentally a responding to the initiations and imitations of God. The way of living praise sets out to find God’s revelation, to carry God’s intentions for His creation into our everyday comings and goings. And this way of life should be so compelling and mysterious and other-than that people see us coming from a long way off and it stops them in their tracks and they wait and watch just to see our exchanges and wonder at this life that has been chosen and how to put it on and what is this deeper, truer way of living?” Do my students see Christ in me at every moment?

There is a choosing to be made. I choose to live my life in praise of Christ. I choose to see every moment as a chance to praise God. I choose to praise God for His beautiful creation that surrounds me. I choose to praise God for his loving sacrifice and for his faithfulness. I choose to praise God because He holds my future and He directs my path. I choose to praise God because His grace is sufficient for all my needs. I choose to praise God because I am alive and I have freedom in Him. I choose to praise God because He is who He says He is. I am not there yet, but I desire my life to be a living praise to Christ and I choose today to put on Christ.

If you need an example of what it looks like to live a life of habitual praise, look no farther than the Psalms. David lived a life of praise to God, praise that resounds through the Psalms in shouts, in laments, in whispers, in adoration. The Psalms are full of praise for Gods marvelous wonders and praise for the hardships that He brings us through. You can’t read them without turning back to God in praise.

“I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips” Psalm 34:1

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to out God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:2-3

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands.” Praise 63:3-4

“I will praise you, O Lord, my God, with all my heart. I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:12

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100: 4-5

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost bring, praise his holy name.” Psalm 103:1

“Praise the Lord, all you nations, extol him, all you people. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117

Choose today to live a life of praise to God…every moment of every day in living praise to our Savior.