The Spoken Word "Ways to Praise"
Given by Lloyd D. Newell
February 8, 1998
Throughout
the scriptures we are encouraged to
praise God.
The arts, for example, are filled with
works which
celebrate His goodness and His
glory. In
countless paintings, songs, poems, and
sculptures
we experience how artists pay tribute
to the Creator
and inspire in us feelings of
reverence
and gratitude.
But are there
other ways to show our love for
God? We may
not have the artistic gifts of a
Michelangelo
or a da Vinci, but we can praise
God through
simple actions and daily choices.
When we help
those in need, we follow Christ's
example and
honor his teachings. When we give
time to our
family members--even after we've
had a hard
day--we learn the rewards of
sacrifice
and better appreciate the Savior's
infinite
and eternal sacrifice. When we take time
to assist
others with a difficult task--even if it is
only to open
the door for them--we praise
God's example
and His teaching of love. When
we hold our
tongue and show forth love to an
enemy, we
praise our Maker and become more
like Him.
When we fall to our knees in thankful
prayer, this,
too, is praise.
We can praise
God simply by keeping an
orderly home,
being kind to our neighbors, and
by honoring
the earth and His creations. We can
sing His
praises in our hearts as we notice and
admire a
majestic mountain, a beautiful sunset,
or a precious
baby.
All around
us we see evidence of His great love
for us and
countless reasons to marvel at the
blessing
of life itself. In Hebrew, halal means "to
praise,"
and hallelujah means "praise to
Jehovah."
David of old filled the Psalms with
Asongs of
praise" and concluded with this
beautiful
advice: "Let everything that hath breath
praise the
Lord."