Finding Wisdom in the PsalmsНамуна

A Selfish Friend

Imagine you have a friend who's always asking you for help. She respects you, but the conversations always focus on her. You are constantly advising her and cheering her up, but she rarely acts grateful. I’ve had a few friends like that, and it’s difficult. But I have to admit that I’m often selfish with my dearest Friend.

He’s always available and, oh, so wise. When I call, His phone is never busy, He’s never distracted, and He never puts me on hold. He knows me better than any human being and knows what I need before I even ask.

Reading Psalm 119:164 made me realize how often I’m like a selfish friend when it comes to my Lord. In this verse, the psalmist says, “I praise you seven times a day for your righteous judgments.” The author of this psalm loved God and His Word so much that he made a practice of praising the Lord seven times each day. He even got up at midnight for that purpose (Psalm 119:62).

When I compare this to my times of praise, I realize how often I take the Lord for granted and how seldom I make serious attempts to praise Him. In our house, we usually set an alarm to go off every hour so we can stop and say a quick prayer, keeping focused on the Lord throughout the day. I usually make requests. But the psalmist’s example encourages me to spend more time simply praising God.

Are you spending some time each day praising Him?

Reflect

Do you know which book of the Bible uses the word “praise” ten times more often than any other book? Hint: It contains the longest and shortest chapters in the Bible. It contains the middle chapter of the Bible, and it begins with a “P.” Why not make your own “concordance” by keeping a journal of the passages in Scripture that contain the word “praise”?