“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.” (Ps. 33:1)
If anyone deserves our praise, it is the Lord. Notice three things the psalmist tells us about true praise.
FIRST—True Praise is PURPOSEFUL.
The Psalmist says, “Rejoice in the LORD…” There isn’t much in this ole’ world to praise God for. There is so much sin and wickedness on every hand, yet the Psalmist says there is ONE thing we can rejoice in; we can “Rejoice in the LORD.” Our circumstances may change, but our God will NEVER change! What a reason to rejoice!
SECOND—True Praise is PERSONAL.
He says, “O ye righteous…” Next, we see this verse is written to saints, not sinners. It is written to the “righteous.” Only those who have been saved truly have a reason to rejoice. Sinners cannot rejoice in the Lord because they are still an enemy of His. This verse is also not written to a group but to individual believers. A heart of praise toward the Lord is something EVERY believer should have for the work of grace He has done in our own hearts.
THIRD—True Praise is BEAUTIFUL.
Next, he says, “for praise is comely for the upright.” The word “comely” means beautiful or attractive. Your attitude and your spirit will either draw people to Jesus or drive people from Jesus. The more we live with a spirit of praise, the more attractive and beautiful our lives become to those who are lost.
Take a moment and think of all God has done in your life. You just might see you have more to praise the Lord for than you realized!