37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
I am reminded of the wonderful words in King David’s Psalm of Praise - praising God for His abundant provisions and tender care towards those who love Him:
1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. Psalms 145:1-7 (NIV)
“God has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the fame of His name among the nations.” John Piper
God delights in the praise of His people and rightly so. Praise is the natural outflow of the joyful and grateful heart of His servants. It is the proper attitude – it is the humble attitude of gratitude which warms the heart of our Father.
"Cultivating a grateful heart is not just an add-on nicety, a civil tip of the hat to God as we steamroll through our day. A posture of purposeful, perpetual thanks to God is absolutely central to Christian character. It gives glory to Him. It is the key defense against Satan's temptations to despair, distrust, dysfunction. It protects us from sin and self. It is the hallmark of heaven. It does not exist in hell." Ellen Vaughn, Radical Gratitude
A prideful, self-sufficient heart is not capable of praise. Praise is contemptible to the proud, beneath their consideration. Perhaps this is why Scripture states:
That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 (NIV)
God mocks proud mockers yet freely bestows grace to the humble. Praising God gives us a proper perspective of who we are and of who He is. Again the Psalms proclaim:
1 Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. 5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. 6 The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Psalms 147:1-6 (NIV)
“Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies.” Charles Jefferson
The best way for us to develop a grateful heart towards God is to consider His past mercies. How faithful and loving He is in even the smallest details of our lives. How precious and tender His love for us – even if we find ourselves in disagreement of or in unpleasant circumstances His hand has allowed. Perhaps they are not of our choosing, perhaps we are “kicking against the goads” in anger and disappointment rather than praise and thankfulness. In choosing to be grateful for the future good that will inevitably come to us as a child of God from this difficult circumstance, we demonstrate the “sacrifice of praise.” It evidences our knowledge that these circumstances allowed are for our good and His glory never one surpassing the other.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 (NIV)
“Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.” Charles Spurgeon
“Let God do with me whatever He will; whatever it be, it will be either heaven itself or some beginning of it.” William Mountford