Psalm 66:17

Psalm 66:17

Praying and praising

The guidance from the pulpit, and in the many books that have been written about prayer, usually separate it from praise. These two methods of communication with the Lord God are different but they also complement each other and in the Hebrew Scriptures they generally go together. When we come before the Lord with our needs and our requests, we should remember to thank Him for all that He has already done, and we must glorify Him for who He is. It is the sense of wonder, of humble thanksgiving, and an awareness of who we are by comparison, that bring us to the place where we may present our requests.  Paul is not averse to mixing prayer and praise and thanksgiving either. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6. “I urge you then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people …..” 1 Timothy 2:1.

I know it is stating the obvious, but it’s still worth pointing out that in this verse of the Psalm, the writer specifically mentions his mouth and his tongue. A lot of people say that they communicate with God in their minds. That’s fine if you are on a train or walking down a busy street or in any busy public place but, there is no substitute for speaking out our prayers and our praises. Those words, once uttered, travel through the atmosphere and the heavens as they ascend to the throne of Almighty God. Let’s not be afraid to speak them out audibly  when we can! 

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