What is it that causes you to erupt in praise?
Now you might say, “Erupting in praise is not really my thing, Dave.” That’s okay. Let me ask it
another way. What “moves” you? What is it that causes you to physically stop in your tracks
while your mind and emotions attempt to grasp what you have seen, experienced, or heard?
Passion becomes the person who sets a trajectory on knowing the wonders of God. Sensitivity to
God-at-work suits the individual who wishes to know the beauty, power, and wisdom of our
Lord.
We want to be a people who are moved by God sightings. When God shows up and does what
only God can do, it’s okay to let a ripple of wonder move through you.
The familiar hymn, How Great Thou Art, walks us through a primer on praise. The first line
states, “O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder…” as the songwriter (Carl Boberg/Stuart
Hines, Stuart K. Hines Trust, 1949) asks us to stand in awe of all that God has done. My kids
called it the “Boom Boom Song” because of the line “I hear the rolling thunder.” They would
request that Gwen sing it at bedtime to them when they were young. (If I led the singing, all
sense of wonder was erased).
In the second stanza, we are called to consider God’s design and beauty in nature. The third
stanza brings us back to the finished work of Christ on the cross, the basis of our relationship
with Him. The fourth stanza draws us forward to the return of Christ and our joy in glory forever
with Him! Praise is never an afterthought in heaven.
We never want to be a people who are so strong that our hearts are not moved.
I encourage you to honor God by noticing His work around you in this world. I encourage you to
praise God. He is worthy of our adoration. The Psalmist puts it this way…
O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.

Psalm 34:3

May your soul be moved in awesome wonder by the God who does all things well. May you
train yourself to be moved by what He is doing in you, through you, and around you.
Love and blessings,
Dave