Life of Praise

AM: Psalm 147 • Deuteronomy 26:1-11 • John 6:26-35
PM: Psalm 145 • Joel 2:21-27 • 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

The final five psalms are all hymns of praise! Two of them are appointed for today—one for the morning and one for the evening. This is a beautiful reminder that we ought to begin and end each day praising God. 

Looking at the St. Helena's Psalter in particular I notice the words, “you are gracious and full of compassion […] you are loving to everyone” (Psalm 145 8a, 9a). This is a summary of my experience with God. It is certainly much easier to give thanks and praise when we receive a particular blessing or experience a period of closeness to God. These verses remind me that it is God’s very character that is worthy of praise, not just the particular benefits I may experience. God’s grace, compassion, and love inform the whole of creation and the fullness of our lives. I respond to that truth with great praise!

I wonder how we all might work to cultivate a spirit of constant praise to God. Especially as Thanksgiving Day encourages us to give thanks for the goodness of creation, how can we center our lives on God? How can our full experience of creation help us to see and praise God? Praise is not a singular moment but rather a disposition and way of life. As we pray these psalms today, I hope we might all consider how to cultivate that life of praise!

Written by Adelyn Tyler-Williams

...who remembers her first time praying from St. Helena’s Psalter when in seminary. One morning, the seminary chapel used the psalter at Morning Prayer, and the bookstore was sold out of the St. Helena’s Breviary by lunch. It graces my shelf this very day.