"Hallelujah! Praise the name of the Lord. Give praise, you servants of the Lord. . ." - Psalm 135:1

I love being a greeter at my church. But I sometimes run into those few people who really don't want to be greeted. You know the ones. They only see the rain in a rainbow, can't see the light at the end of a tunnel and subscribe to the "Eeyore Fan Club" where gloom and doom are essential character traits. How easy it is for us to get caught up in the misery of life and to forget about the greatness of our God really and how deserving He is of our praise.

Psalm 135 reminds us that we really should be in constant praise of the Lord. Why? Well, read verse five. It says, "For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is greater than all gods." If that isn't enough I don't know what is! But if you still need more proof that our Lord is praiseworthy, examine the last seven days of your life. Now, list 14 things (two for each day) for which you can praise the Lord. I think if you really put some thought to it, the list will grow beyond 14 items.

If you are still reading this devotional, praise the Lord. Still breathing? Praise the Lord. As it says in Scripture, "Let everything
that has breath praise the Lord." So, reflect on the rainbow, live in the light and let your Eeyore Fan Club membership expire. Start praising the Lord for His goodness! Yeah, you're right. I don't know your situation. But I do know the God who created you, and His desire for you is for nothing more than better days with Him. Believe that today and choose to praise Him!

When do you find it hard to praise the Lord? Have you started listing your two praises per day, yet? Why not? Today, how can you put the bad behind you and put God's goodness in front of you?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jere Johnson is a Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff member from the Chicago area.

In Jesus' name, Amen.