Because of Who He is

by Rebecca Rhodes

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” –Psalm 100:1

Often times we get “stuck” worshiping God for all He has done for us and that’s if we even remember to give thanks. I know it is hard to remember to talk to God when things are going well and (usually) very, very easy to reach out when things are going badly. But even more so we tend to forget to worship God for simply being God. He is the one and only, almighty, loving, just, omniscient God. He has not given us His love in return for something. He gave it to us regardless of our brokenness—and that is because of who He is.

Humans are transactional creatures, and we tend to thank others for things or actions instead of for who they are. So how do we find practical ways to remember to praise God for all that He is even during the good times? One thing that I do is to put Bible verses about what I’m working on spiritually onto a bracelet, and whenever I look at my wrist (attached to my hand that I use to do everything, so that’s a lot!) I’m reminded to pray—about Who holds my identity or focused on the wisdom from another verse I’ve chosen.

That may not work for everyone, and I’ve seen others pair their reminders with tasks they have to do so they are reminded every day. Most people brush their teeth in front of the bathroom mirror—so maybe write a reminder on a little sticky note and put it right in the middle of your bathroom mirror. Or maybe you don’t brush your teeth (ha ha!), so you could put a sticky note on your fridge or in your car instead. You get the idea.

Another idea is to have an accountability buddy. This also really helps me. It’s just someone who checks in with you every day or even just once in a while and asks “Have you checked in with God recently? Have you thanked Him and praised Him even if He hasn’t specifically answered a prayer in that moment?”

I hope that no matter what, my words can be an encouragement to just be more aware of when you’re praising God (not just in the bad times!) and what you’re praising God about. Along with the delivered prayers and support through hard times, remember to thank God for simply being God.