03/28/2026
A Word for Today – Praise
Offered by Carol Latimer
Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds. Psalm 148:7-10
I find it interesting that the writers of the Psalms include animals when talking about who should praise God. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.” I look at my cat and my chickens and I don’t see anything resembling praising God. I watch the wild creatures in my yard: the deer, the turkeys, all types of squirrels, ground hogs, and wild birds, including the hawks and falcons that watch my chickens. I see nothing with them resembling worship and praise. All of them are simply being the animals that they are. Praise is about honoring God, about expressing gratitude for his wonderous works and showing our adoration intentionally. I don’t see my backyard or housebound creatures doing this. They are simply being the creatures God created them to be, no more, no less.
What if that was the point? What if another aspect of praise is to honor God by being who he created us to be? I think sometimes I spend too much energy trying to be who I perceive the world thinks I should be. God didn’t create me to be like Becky down the street. God had a specific purpose and idea of the person he wanted me to grow into. So perhaps, a way to praise God is to try to figure out who he created us to be and to live into that.
