prayers of praise

Text: Psalm 8

Do you wake up praying? Giving thanks and praising Him for who He is and what He’s done?

I admit, it’s not my first conscious action. Generally, I wake with a grumble at the sounding alarm, not a prayer (except maybe for it to stop). I drag myself from the warm covers, make a promise to myself that tonight I’ll take my makeup off before bed and stumble to the kitchen to start the coffee and pull open the blinds.

And at that moment, most mornings, I gasp.

The sky is perfectly painted in layers of icy blue, pale yellow and fiery pink leading to a burst of orange. The sunrise.

He’s gifted this intentional reminder of “glory in the heavens.” This evident, majestic work of His hands.

And despite my weariness, my to-do list, my need for coffee and obvious need for grooming, I forget myself completely. It all becomes about Him. In an instant, my gasp becomes a prayer—a prayer praising His greatness.

Psalm 8 is David’s gasp at God’s majesty, though it’s far more eloquent than my smeary mascara-eyed admiring.

Yet, this is what I long for my first prayer of every day to be – a prayer of praise:

For His perfect creation (Psalm 8:3, NIV), seen in a sunrise that a million painters could never come close to replicating.

For His unfathomable love for each and every one of us (v.4, NIV), despite our grumbles and sinful ways.

For the dominion over all His creation, given to us in the garden and restored in Christ (v. 5-8, NIV), the undeserved redemption we find in His son.

Nothing could be more praiseworthy.

These prayers are not expectant, not tinged with our own self-interest, or a laundry list of problems we want rectified. These are prayers of pure praise, thanksgiving and adoration that our Father receives so gratefully, like the crayon-scrawled thank you note we get from a child. He’ll take our gift and cherish it anytime, anywhere.

Let your first prayer today be one of praise. Forget yourself completely. Share with Him your gasp at His greatness, singing a prayerful song of praise:

“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the Earth!” (v. 9)