Give God Praise and Experience Joy

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is His name.’ ” (Luke 1:46-49)
  Passage: Psalm 34:1-22

         Mary grew up in a small, little-known town of Nazareth. Like most people in Israel, she grew up with without much economic wealth. The call of God for her to be the mother of Jesus would mean that she would be subject to the judgement of people and ostracism for having conceived a child out of wedlock and it could have even resulted in her being stoned for adultery. With all of that, when she went to Elizabeth’s house and experienced the blessing of Elizabeth and the encouragement for her belief in God’s promises, she burst out in a song of praise.
       God designed you to praise Him. When Pharisees expressed indignation at children shouting out praise to Jesus, He responded by pointing to Psalm 8:2 which says, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” (Matthew 21:14-16) Praising God will enable you to experience the manifestation of His presence. (Psalm 100:4) Praising God is an act of faith in believing who He is, what He is done and what He can do. Give God praise regardless of whether your circumstances make you happy or sad. When you praise Him, His Holy Spirit will give you joy for your heart.               

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)