Consistently Inconsistent Praise

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“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 34:1

I read these words and my first thought was, “Were that it were so!”

David’s resolve is bold: to bless the Lord at all times, to have His praise continually on his lips. But if I’m honest, that’s not the song on repeat in my life. My lips are often filled with other things—complaints, anxieties, frustrations, and the occasional sarcastic remark (sometimes even funny ones). Praise is there, yes, but not continually.

And that’s the sting of this verse. It reminds me of what should be true, while exposing what often is true.

But maybe that’s the point.

David penned this psalm after one of the lowest, strangest moments in his life—pretending to be insane before Abimelech just to escape with his skin (1 Samuel 21). Not exactly a mountaintop experience of victory. And yet, from that place of humiliation, he says, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” Even here. Even now.

That’s where this verse begins to reshape me. Praise is not something reserved for the sunny days when everything clicks. Praise is meant for the shadows too—for the hospital waiting room, for the sleepless night, for the moment when your strength is gone and all you can do is groan. Why? Because God Himself doesn’t change.

Think of the reasons you and I have to bless the Lord:

  • His character—steadfast love, perfect justice, unchanging faithfulness.
  • His work of redemption—Christ crucified and risen, sins forgiven, death defeated.
  • His daily mercies—breath in our lungs, bread on the table, the Spirit dwelling within us.

These reasons don’t come and go with the weather. They are continual. Which means our praise should be, too.

Now, let’s be clear: this is not a call to fake it. God doesn’t need our plastic smiles and forced hallelujahs. But it is a call to reorient our speech, to let praise set the direction—even when we don’t get it perfect. The goal isn’t perfection of praise, but direction of praise.

So here’s the encouragement: start small. Begin and end your day with a simple word of thanks. When you feel a complaint bubbling up, pause and see if you can turn it into gratitude. Open the Psalms and borrow their words when yours feel weak. And trust that God, by His Spirit, will keep tuning your heart so that His praise will be more and more in your mouth—until the day it will be so, perfectly, in glory.

“Were that it were so.” Someday, it will be. And even now, by grace, it can be more than it is.

SDG

Asking Great Things of God

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This morning I was struck by a line from one of the prayers in *The Valley of Vision*: *“I ask great things of a great God.”*

It made me pause and wonder: How often do I ask little of God because, deep down, I think little of Him?

We might not say it aloud, but our prayers often reveal a very small view of God. We pray for manageable things, things we think He can handle. We hedge our hopes so we won’t be disappointed. We settle for small requests because it feels safer.

Sometimes our prayers sound more like a grocery list than a kingdom plea: “Lord, help me get through today.” Or the ever-popular: “Lord, help me find a decent parking spot.” Nothing wrong with those requests—but if our prayers stop there, we’ve reduced God to the chaplain of our convenience rather than the King of glory.

But Scripture presses us to ask boldly of a God who delights to do more than we imagine.

The Arrows of Joash

One story that came to mind is in 2 Kings 13. The prophet Elisha told King Joash to take arrows and strike the ground. Joash struck three times and then stopped. Elisha grew angry and said that if he had struck more, the Lord would have given complete victory over his enemies. Because he stopped short, the victory would be limited.

Joash’s problem wasn’t a lack of arrows. His problem was a lack of expectation. He acted as though God’s power had limits, as though three half-hearted strikes would be enough.

I wonder how often I do the same.

Salvation Belongs to the Lord

My recent readings have reminded me again and again that salvation is entirely God’s work:

  • “Today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.” (1 Sam. 11:13)
  • “So then He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills.” (Rom. 9:18)
  • “For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake.” (1 Sam. 12:22)
  • “For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.” (Ps. 26:3)

God saves, God keeps, God preserves—not because of our strength or our prayers, but because of His mercy and His glory.

Since that’s true, why should I be content to ask so little of Him? Why not pray for revival in a hard heart? Why not ask for the salvation of an entire household? Why not pray for the growth of His church, the perseverance of the saints, the advance of the gospel to the ends of the earth?

Praying in Proportion to His Greatness

The point is not that God is a genie who grants wishes if we just ask big enough. No—He is the sovereign Lord, who works all things according to His will. But the very fact that He is sovereign, merciful, and faithful ought to enlarge our prayers.

  • Since salvation belongs to the Lord, our prayers can be bold.
  • Since His steadfast love never fails, our petitions should never shrink.
  • Since He is a great God, we must ask Him for great things—not for our name’s sake, but for His.

So maybe today, instead of tapping the ground timidly three times, pick up the arrows of prayer and strike boldly. Ask God to do what only God can do.

Because He is a great God.
And great things are what He loves to give.