“I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth” (Psalm 57:9-11). In this Psalm, which expresses the need for God’s refuge, David closes it by recognizing who God is and giving Him praise. It is a beautiful resolution to proclaim the glory of God to the whole world. This is not only the responsibility of a follower of God, but an opportunity and privilege.
Psalm 19 shows us how the entire creation of God is giving Him praise. Verse one states, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” In this Psalm, David goes on to show how awesome God’s creation is, unceasingly giving God glory despite its silence. We see the beauty of God’s creation and know the power, creativity, and love behind its design. As creation continues to fulfil God’s will for it and display the power of its Maker, it continually declares God’s glory.
The question for us is this: Am I bringing suitable honor and praise to God as the rest of His creation is? Could it be that when I am compared to the rest of the incredible things that God has created, I rarely point to God’s glory? Often, I find myself shying away from publicly giving God praise. As part of God’s creation, as those who have been given dominion over the earth, and as those uniquely made in His image, it is our job to continue this mission of praise. It is our responsibility to bear God’s image appropriately in the sight of the world. This is part of what we were created for: to bring praise and glory to God in all we do.
What does that look like? We can bring glory to God in every decision we make when our decisions reflect the character of God. Does the way we treat other people bring glory to God because Christ is shining in our lives? Or do our actions tend to have the opposite effect at times? If we are not saying things, making decisions, and treating others in a Christ-like way, perhaps we may end up pushing others further from God, marring the way the world views His name. Praising God through our actions, decisions, and words is how we bear the image of God to the world every day.
As God’s people, let us never shy away from glorifying our King. In my experience, speaking words of praise and adoration out loud can be difficult in certain contexts. It shouldn’t be! Perhaps there are times when it feels awkward, out of place, or even inauthentic. Once again, I am reminded of Psalm 57:9: “I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.” We should be overwhelmed by the power of God in His creation and the amazing relationship we enjoy with Him that we, in turn, physically shout out His praises! How can we do this more? It happens in a conversation with a brother or sister when you hear how God has been impacting their life. It’s when you see a beautiful sunset and are moved to express the power and creativity of its Maker. Or maybe it’s simply singing songs of praise in the assembly without caring what others think of you, focusing solely on praising God with all your heart. We should never shy away from praising God openly. This is our mission, and our Lord deserves it.
As image-bearers of God and part of His magnificent creation, let’s go and praise God’s name among the nations as the Psalmist did. Let’s glorify God through our actions and decisions, acting in a way that reflects His character. We can never give Him the glory He truly deserves, so let’s get to work! Let’s show the nations how great our God is so that they may praise Him as well. Let’s shamelessly and passionately give God the honor that is due Him.
—Joshua Brown