No. 45: The Kind of Praise You May Be Neglecting
On the World Cup, July Fourth, and learning to build a life of blessing God
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When we look back on the summer of 2026, we’ll remember that these were the days of near-constant coverage of delighted tourists discovering American customs. Here in my hometown, it’s been fun to watch people try H-E-B tortillas. Kolaches and queso. Barbecue and Buc-cees. And high-powered air conditioning during a hundred-degree, Houston days.
Bless our hearts.
For the last few weeks, Texas has become the setting for a global travel diary, and the entries have been unexpectedly charming. The delight has been contagious—because praise has a way of reshaping the way we all see the world around us.
Most of us haven’t journeyed halfway across the world this summer, but we’ve all arrived at the midway point of 2026. If someone came across the travelogue of the first six months of your year, what joys would they find filling its pages?
If you live in the United States this particular weekend, your last twenty-four hours might read like a distinctly American scrapbook. Weekends like this are an easy reason to fill our journals, or at least our social media posts, with gratitude. There are obvious gifts to write about: backyard cookouts and kids running barefoot through the yard. Flags on front porches. Sparklers after dark, and the first crack of fireworks set to patriotic anthems (and perhaps, some Toby Keith).
It feels natural to thank God for the freedoms we have, for the heroes who have come before us, and for the 250th anniversary of a country that—despite its imperfections—has been an extraordinary blessing to millions.
It’s good to celebrate the gifts in our lives because they’re all from God. It’s good to give thanks for what He’s done, to daily and seasonally list these things and let them be a reason our hearts praise the Lord.
But there’s a deeper kind of praise we’re invited to participate in every single day, and if I’m honest, it’s one I’m not as good at. If you printed out every word I’ve thought, spoken, or written over the last six months, from January through June, I’m embarrassed to consider how often I was prompted to praise God because He gave me what I wanted in the moment—and how seldom I praised Him simply because He is worthy.
I’ve been challenged recently by how David prayed in Psalm 145. He said:
I exalt you, my God the King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
I will bless you every day;
I will praise your name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:1–2, emphasis added)
Psalm 145 is the last psalm attributed to David in the entire collection. It’s “a monumental praise psalm, a fit summary of all David had learned about God during a long lifetime of following hard after the Almighty.”1 This final psalm could have been a testimony praising God for all that He had given David and all that God had done for him and through him during his lifetime—and it would have been beautiful and true.
Instead, the psalm unfolds as a cascade of reasons that God is worthy of praise: His greatness, His mighty acts, His compassion, His mercy, His patience, His faithfulness, His righteousness, His nearness to those who call on Him.
Here’s what has stood out to me (and has been convicting my heart) as I’ve meditated on these verses:
David’s commitment to praising God. “So important is it for him to praise God that he makes it a firm resolution: I will three times. This is his chief concern in life, both in the long term: for ever and ever (twice) and the short term: every day.”2 Is praise a firm resolution in my life or is it only a reaction?
David understood how worthy God was of praise. “The LORD is great and is highly praised” (Psalm 145:3). As David Guzik says, “We get the feeling that David felt it would be dishonorable to withhold his praise to God or to give Him half-hearted praise.”3 If God is worthy of great praise, why do I so often offer Him so little of it? What competes for my wonder and captures my attention and worship instead?
David had glimpsed God’s greatness. In verses 8–9, he refers back to Exodus 34:6 and God’s self-revelation to Moses. David had seen God’s character through Israel’s history. He had seen God’s splendor, majesty, and wondrous works through creation (vv. 5–7). He’d witnessed God’s goodness as the Creator resting on all He has made (v. 9). He’d seen the Lord help those who were oppressed and provide for their needs (vv. 14–15). Am I intentionally seeking out God’s attributes by deeply studying His Word, looking for His goodness on display in creation, and paying attention to His image reflected in the lives of the people He has made?
David’s praise flowed from personal devotion and from a right perspective. Spurgeon said, “To bless God is to praise him with a personal affection for him, and a wishing well to him; this is a growingly easy exercise as we advance in experience and grow in grace.”4 David referred to the Lord as his God; their relationship had become increasingly more personal throughout a lifetime together. Intimacy deepened his reverence. Yet while David referred to the Lord personally as his God, he also acknowledged him as “the King.” David—a king with a lowercase k—never forgot that he stood before the King of kings. Does my praise reflect the relationship I have with God as His child while also remaining filled with awe for the King who reigns over all?
David found countless ways to praise God. In his book, In the Lord I Take Refuge, Dane Ortlund writes: “Consider the great variety of words this psalm uses for praising God—’extol’ (v. 1), ‘bless’ (v. 1), ‘praise’ (v. 2), ‘commend’ (v. 4), ‘speak of’ (v. 6), ‘pour forth’ (v. 7), ‘sing aloud’ (v. 7), ‘give thanks’ (v. 10), ‘make known’ (v. 12). As the psalmist ponders the Lord’s lavish goodness, praise pours out.”5 Is praise about God woven throughout my life in different ways? Does it find its way into my journal, my playlists, my dinner table conversations, my social media posts, and the way I respond to or encourage others?
David’s praise was meant to be shared. “One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts,” he said. “They will give a testimony of your great goodness and will joyfully sing of your righteousness” (Psalm 145:4,7). Who is hearing about God’s goodness because of my praise? If younger generations learned to praise God by listening to me, what would they hear? If older generations overheard my praise, would they be encouraged that I’m faithfully carrying forward testimonies of their same God?
Praise was David’s legacy. “The last verse of Psalm 145 is the last word we have from David in the Bible. It is his last will and testament. If he had said nothing else in his long life, these words would be a fine legacy for future generations. In it he praises God and invites others to praise God also.”6 Will praise be one of the defining marks of my life? Would someone reading the pages of my story conclude that God is absolutely worthy of praise?
In the final verse of Psalm 145, David once again firmly decides that he will praise the Lord, and then he extends one last invitation to all of creation to bless the Lord’s name—not just in the here and now, but forever. His final words point forward to the day when every creature in heaven and on earth will join together in worship, proclaiming:
Blessing and honor and glory and power
be to the one seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb, forever and ever! (Revelation 5:13)
“So ends David’s contribution to the Psalter, on a note of praise which is wholly his own (Psalm 145:21a), yet as wide as mankind and as unfading as eternity.”7 David understood that praise should be our discipline every single day, but it is also the eternal occupation of God’s people—because every attribute David celebrated shines brightest in Jesus Christ.
This summer, we’ve been delighted by the excitement from those around the globe who have come to Texas for the World Cup. One day, voices from every nation, tribe, people, and language will gather around God’s throne and praise Him.
Until then, how could we not make David’s prayer our lifelong commitment too?
My mouth will declare the LORD’s praise;
let every living thing
bless his holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:21)
Eyes on the Horizon
Questions, reflections, and Scripture to set your hope on eternity with Jesus.
As you look back over the first half of this year, what has most often filled the “pages” of your life? What have you talked about, celebrated, or dwelled on the most? What percentage of your speech has been praise to God?
Read Psalm 145. Which of God’s attributes most stirs your heart to praise Him today? Why?
David resolved, “I will bless you every day” (Psalm 145:2). This week, will you resolve to praise God daily? What could this look like within the rhythms of your normal routines?
One Day Closer
Lord, we worship You because You alone are worthy of all praise. You are great, and Your greatness is beyond our understanding. You are glorious in majesty, steadfast in love, rich in mercy, patient beyond measure, faithful in every promise, righteous in all Your ways, and kind in all You do. Every good gift we enjoy points us back to You, but today we want to praise You not only for Your gifts—we want to praise You. May our mouths declare Your praise every day, and our hearts stand in awe of Your goodness until the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language joins together around Your throne to bless Your holy name forever and ever.
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David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, commentary on Psalm 145, quoting James Montgomery Boice, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-145/.
Eric Lane, Psalms 90–150: The Lord Reigns, Focus on the Bible (Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2006), 222.
David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, commentary on Psalm 145, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-145/.
David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, commentary on Psalm 145, quoting Charles Spurgeon, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-145/.
Dane C. Ortlund, In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions through the Psalms (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 398.
David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, commentary on Psalm 145, quoting James Montgomery Boice, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-145/.
David Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, commentary on Psalm 145, quoting Derek Kidner, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-145/.
Amen Katie! God is so worthy to be praised!
This sentence hit me hard: “I’m embarrassed to consider how often I was prompted to praise God because He gave me what I wanted in the moment—and how seldom I praised Him simply because He is worthy.”
PS I had to look up H-E-B tortillas. They sound yummy!