PSALM 119:164 – Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.

THEME OF THE DAY. A DAILY HABIT. In today’s scripture, it really isn’t about the specific number but the heart attitude and exercise of one’s will. The number seven reveals a daily habit the Psalmist developed. The result was a life of worship, not sometimes, not on a Sunday, but throughout each day. It is a habit worthy of emulating. So, with the Psalmist as our model, let’s observe a couple things about developing the noble habit of praise leading to a life of daily praise to the One who is worthy of such.

First, the Psalmist gives the reason for his habit – the righteous rules of the Lord. He was drawn to the Word which is God’s means of revealing Himself. This is critical. God must be worshipped as He is and that according to His manifestation of Himself. We cannot fabricate worship based on our own understanding of who God is as defined by anything within us – experiences, feelings – or by the climates created by much of contemporary Christianity. Jesus tells us acceptable worship is in spirit and truth, and truth comes from the scriptures (John 4:24). Don’t allow music, physical environments, order of services, drama, lighting, or any other man-made thing be the interpreters of God and thus be the chief vehicles for worship. The Word of God – His righteous rules – defines Him and shapes our worship. If it is otherwise, we find ourselves worshipping a god who does not exist or offering false worship to the One True God. The Psalmist ensured his “seven times a day” habit of praise flowed from the Written Word of God pointing to the Living God.

Another important lesson from the Psalmist involves the exercising of one’s will which is the demonstration of faith in action. Read again today’s scripture. The declaration by the Psalmist is that of choice. He proclaims, “Seven times a day I praise you.” He didn’t wait till he felt like praising. He didn’t turn up the music prompting praise. He didn’t put praise off until the Lord’s Day. He exercised “right now” faith and that throughout the day. And there is much we too may exercise “right now” faith in praising the Lord for. Consider a few. As soon as we wake up, we may praise the Lord for health, for night time protection, and for shelter As we go into our day, we may praise the Lord for His guiding hand, His help in living life, the marvels of His creation, and the privilege to walk in His truth. Yes, we have much to praise Him for throughout each day. It is just a matter of choice, of exercising our wills to do so.

So, in the course of living out the daily habits of life, add another one – a daily habit of praise, not seven times a day, but throughout all our days. God is worthy of such a life for now and into eternity .

PRAYER: “Father, help me to live a life of praise and that moment-by-moment each and every day.”

QUOTE: “Learn to praise God throughout the day and we will be discovering the joyful Christian life.”