Life is Short... How Do I Make it Count?
By Jeanne Doyon
I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I still have my being. - Psalm 146:2
I don't know how many years I have left to live and love. Life is short and the older I get, the clearer that is to me. The fact is, none of us know. Life is short, so I think I should live each day with that in mind.
The meaning of this verse is the psalmist’s desire to lift up the Lords praise throughout his whole life – while he still has breath. I will praise – I will sing.
This is a determined prayer. It is present tense—I will do it now.
No matter what I face – I will praise.
No matter what is going on, I will sing praises to God...
Praise is more powerful than we can imagine:
- Praise routes the enemy.
- Praise stirs our spirit.
- Praise ascends to God’s throne as an offering.
- Praise erects a shield to combat defeat, and depression.
- Praise overcomes grumbling.
- God is worthy of that praise and he loves to hear it – to smell the fragrant offering.
We can find other references to this:
Psalm 63:4 says, “so I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name.”
Psalm 104:33 that tells us, “sing to the Lord in my lifetime; Let me sing praise to my God.”
I want my life to matter. Romans 12:1 says to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice—as worship. I want to give my all to God. How about you?
We don’t know about tomorrow—we aren’t even sure there will be a tomorrow. So, I want my life to be a fragrant offering today. Because life is short. And, my life belongs to God. He bought me with the blood of The Lamb.
What are some ways you can live in the spiritual moment?
What is worthy of praise today?
This devotional was adapted from Jeanne Doyon’s 7-day devotional “Psalm 146: The Call to Praise the One in Whom You Trust.” You can access this and other free resources from Jeanne here.
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