Kristi Burchfiel

We are not the only ones to praise God. All of His creation praises Him. See what Psalm 96 says. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Psalms 96:11‭-‬12 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.96.11-12.NASB All of God’s creation cries out with joy to praise and glorify the Creator. Do we cry out as well? Do our actions demonstrate our love and joy in the Lord? It’s interesting, but we have to consider that the trees and the fields are better at…

Does joy characterize our attitude toward life? When others look at us do they see God’s joy pouring through our life? Look at the psalmist in chapter 95. O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord , Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalms 95:1‭-‬2 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.95.1-2.NASB Everything about this screams joy. The joy of the Lord is in and through everything him. It defines who he is. How would others characterize you. Would joy cone to mind?

Who is our go-to person? Often we all have that person who is the most trusted, reliable, and helpful that we call up first when going through tough times. For the psalmist, that was God. See psalm 94. But the Lord has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. Psalms 94:22 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.94.22.NASB God is the stronghold and the one who is the most trusted. We can always trust that He will do what he says he is going to do. He wants to be the first one that we go to in hard times because He already knows what we are going through. Will we…

God is in control. Not only is he in control but he is capable of handling the control. When we look around at all that God has done and is doing, do we accept his control? The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Psalms 93:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.93.1.NASB No matter what happens, no matter what goes on, God is still God. He is not surprised. Do we trust what God says and does in every situation? He is God.

Are we excited about what God is doing? Do we even notice what God is doing. God is constantly at work in our lives and all around us. See what the psalmist said in Psalm 92. For You, O Lord , have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands. Psalms 92:4 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.92.4.NASB When we consider all that God does, do we praise Him? Do we sing for joy? Does it make us glad? As God moves and works in our lives and in the lives of those we are around, we can get excited for all that…

Do we call upon God in our times of trouble? Whenwe see all the negative things that life can bring our way, do we call upon Him? God promises that He will answer us and will be with us. See Psalm 91. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. Psalms 91:15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.91.15.NASB God sees us. But more than that, God reacts to us and to what we have gone through. If we will call upon Him, He answers us. He will be able to rescue us and He will honor us. Where…

Do we come to God in the morning? When we come, do we expect much from him? See Psalm 90. O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalms 90:14 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.90.14.NASB God is the one who satisfies and He is the one that gives us a reason to rejoice and be glad. If we are not coming to him or don’t truly know Him, then it is difficult to experience the joy that comes from Him. Are we seeking our joy from Him every morning?

Do we praise God? Sure, we can talk about the words that have come out of our mouth, but have we truly and honestly spent time praising, glorifying, and exalting our God for who He is? Read Psalm 89. I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalms 89:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.89.1.NASB Forever. The psalmist is going to sing, not just once, but forever of all that the Lord has done. Then, that song is not just for himself, he is singing that song for all generations. He desires that everyone know about all that God has…

Do we cry out to God? As we are seeking Him each day, do we actually “seek” after Him, or are we just sort of hoping that we will stumble across His will for us. See Psalm chapter 88. O Lord , the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry! Psalms 88:1‭-‬2 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.88.1-2.NASB There is urgency and desperation in here. The psalmist knows that unless he finds and walks with God, he is sunk. Do we seek after God with that level of intensity?  If not, why not?…

God dwells in glory. When the psalmist describes the city of God, he can only list the praises he has for it. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah. Psalms 87:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.87.3.NASB As Christ dwells in our heart and life, they are to be a reflection of Christ. As we go through our day, Christ is to be glorified in all that we say snd do. Would our lives be described as the psalmist describes the dwelling place of God?