One of the things God likes His children to do is talk about the great things He has done.

This sounds kind of arrogant and self-absorbed, right? If a friend asked me to talk them up to everyone I knew, I’d be suspicious and put off. Maybe I’d tell them to seek therapy.

Well, God asks exactly this of His children.

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I used to wonder why the Creator and Ultimate Power of the Universe would need me to praise Him. I struggled with how (and why) to praise God.

Then I started a praise journal.

After adding to it faithfully every morning for a few weeks — just a few sentences about who God is and what is great about Him — I discovered the answer. Praising God is really for me, not Him. He doesn’t need my laudation. He knows exactly how awesome He is. But I need to remember how amazing He is because I forget. And fear creeps in.

If I take the time to talk about how powerful God is, about all the great things He has done, and remind myself of His majesty and splendor, the fear dissipates. And by sharing, maybe I can help someone else’s fear dissipate as well.

Dear God,

You are magnificent and you know it. You don’t need praise from me, but you deserve more than I could ever offer. Thank you for encouraging me to praise you so that I am reminded of your generous love, your invincible power, and your brilliant, beautiful holiness.