Worship the Lord with gladness.
Imagine you’ve been mute for nine long months and then all of a sudden you’re finally able to speak again. What is the first thing you would say?
Now add this to the equation: your first child has just been born the moment your voice comes back.
I can imagine a hundred things that could come out of my mouth in such a moment: joy, amazement, words of encouragement for my partner and, of course, showers of love for the newborn child.
You might be thinking, “What an absurd scenario!” And you’d be right. But it did happen, to Zacharias, a priest in the Bible (read Luke 1).
When his mouth opened after 9 months of mutism, these were his first words:
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. – Luke 1:68-69 NIV
Zachariah’s praise song goes on for 11 verses (Luke 1:68-79). It is safe to say he had his priorities right; before anything else, it was praise that crossed his lips!
What an inspiring reminder that praising God should be our first priority, always.
Worship the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures for ever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. – Psalms 100:2-5
Before you do anything else today, take a moment to praise God!
