Daily Devotions

Praise provides refreshment. Life is exhausting. Praising God provides refreshment for our spirits. Praise can turn even the worst day around.  Did you know that in the majority of studies religious involvement is correlated with:-

• well-being, 
• happiness and life satisfaction; 
• hope and optimism; 
• purpose and meaning in life; 
• higher self-esteem; 
• better adaptation to bereavement; 
• greater social support and less loneliness; 
• lower rates of depression and faster recovery from depression; 
• lower rates of suicide and fewer positive attitudes towards suicide; 
• less anxiety; less psychosis and fewer psychotic tendencies; 
• lower rates of alcohol and drug abuse; less delinquency and criminal activity; greater marital stability and satisfaction.' 

This is the conclusion of the largest literature review, and is endorsed by a former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He laments the lack of attention given to the strong evidence: 'for anything other than religion and spirituality, governments and health providers would be doing their utmost to promote it'. 

Paul recognised the wellbeing benefits of praising God when he wrote, “ All praise goes to God, Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. He is the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort. He consoles us as we endure the pain and hardship of life so that we may draw from His comfort and share it with others in their own struggles.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

In a sermon preached in 1871 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, in Newington , C. H. Spurgeon said, “Sometimes, even when prayer fails, praise will do it. It seems to gird up the loins. It pours a holy anointing oil upon the head and upon the spirit. It gives us a joy of the Lord which is always our strength. Sometimes, if you begin to sing in a dull frame, you can sing yourself up the ladder. Singing will often make the heart rise.”

Dear Heavenly Father, We come before you today with hearts full of gratitude and praise. We thank you for your goodness and faithfulness in our lives. You have been so good to us, and we are grateful for all that you have done in our hearts and lives. We ask that you bring to our memory all the wonderful things that you have done, so that we may be filled with gladness and rejoice in your goodness. Amen