Praise

Praise

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 146:1-2, NIV

Whenever I read or recite Psalm 146, my memory wanders back to the summer of 2003. I was staying in Orlando, Florida, with my husband, Jim, where he was attending a convention. Early each morning when Jim left the hotel room for meetings, I took a long walk up and down International Boulevard.

Before walking the first morning, I read Psalm 146. The first two verses reminded me of my brother-in-law, David, who was losing his battle with cancer. Humanly speaking, David didn’t seem to have much time left. As I pondered his situation, the idea of praising God as long as I live took on new meaning.

While I reflected on the psalm, an idea came to mind. Since Psalm 146 contained ten verses and I was staying in Orlando for ten days, I’d memorize one verse of the psalm each morning while I was out walking. That worked well, and in the process I discovered something new about myself: I memorize better when I’m walking than I do when I’m sitting still.

I still meditate on Psalm 146 (NIV) sometimes. And when I ponder verse 9 (“The Lord . . . sustains the fatherless and the widow”) my eyes get misty. I grieve that David is no longer with us on earth, but I also praise God for the many ways he has taken care of David’s wife, Joan, and her three children since David’s death. “Praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Father,

Thank you that we see your greatness in the way you care for us. Help us choose to praise you every day of our lives. Amen.