What does it mean to praise God above false idols? How does that look in our day-to-day lives? On Monday, we talked about how inviting God into our struggles and remembering that our cares matter to him is often the first step in laying down false idols, but how do we take the next step into praise?
The people of Israel went through a lot to get to where they were. They experienced a great deal of trial and tribulation, but throughout their story, they always turned back to praise God. The Israelites knew that no matter where they were in life, God was with them.
I used to run half marathons frequently. Every day was dictated by my training plan and I praised that plan because it worked. As I started to get older, though, following my plan became more and more challenging. This mortal thing that I held onto was really just an idol of silver and gold. It started to fail me and wasn’t worthy of my praise.
So now here I am at 32, and I want to start running again. (Pray for me!) It will feel natural to turn my praise toward my training plan or my own strength. There are a ton of different plans out there for runners who want to get back in the game. But what would it look like to follow a plan while giving God the praise instead?
Maybe there is something in your life where you are not giving praise to God or where it feels impossible to do so. It all starts with a choice. When we choose to move through life giving praise to God, we begin to shift how we view the world around us. Our work, social, family, and inner lives cease to be about idols of silver and gold and start to center around the living God. This choice is what moves our praise in the right direction. So how can you choose to praise God today?