Vital Signs: Friday, May 16, 2025

Start with Praise

“I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s true, when each of us go to the Lord in prayer, we go with specific things in mind. We go with needs of our own, interceding for others and their needs, heartache, and in need of healing. The list can go on and on. But I truly believe that if we enter our time of prayer the way David enters his time of prayer in the above verses, things would change. David understood that each of us were created by Holy God to worship Him. David begins by exalting, lifting high—not just God—but also recognizing Him as King. God is not only our Creator, but as King He is supreme authority and ruler over all. To begin our prayers this way is to put God, in our hearts and minds, in His rightful place. Don’t misunderstand me—God is already most superior—but it engages our hearts and minds to the truth of what’s already true. Then David expresses the need to praise the Lord without ceasing, every day, forever and ever. David expresses God’s greatness and His worthiness to be praised. He acknowledges that no one can measure the greatness of God. Now with that acknowledgment in place, I believe we’re able to pray at a whole new level, making our requests known with a greater assurance of our prayers being answered because we understand better who our Creator/King/God really is.

Let’s start with praise!