My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long. Psalm 71:8
Have you ever noticed that you can’t
say two things at once? Come on, try it. You can’t speak two
different words or sentences simultaneously. Neither can you think
two different thoughts simultaneously. You can go back and forth
between different thoughts or words, but you can only think and speak
one at the time.
It can be easy to complain. We can do that about pretty much anything. The reason is because we are ungrateful for the blessings we have and/or that we are spoiled and think everything has to go our own way. My kids often complain about the food I put before them. And of course, I tell them that there are many hungry children around the world who would love to eat what they are complaining about. I tell them they should be thankful for the food, even if it isn’t something that they absolutely love.
Now it isn’t just kids who complain.
I’ve seen many adults who find fault with just about anything. I
admit, I complain sometimes too. But if our mouths are filled with
praise, as in the verse above, it can’t be filled with complaining.
If we declare the Lord’s splendor all day, we have little room for
grumbling and complaining. If we have a grateful heart, then praise
will be on our lips, not complaints. We can choose to be thankful
for God’s blessings or we can choose to complain.
It can be easy to complain. We can do that about pretty much anything. The reason is because we are ungrateful for the blessings we have and/or that we are spoiled and think everything has to go our own way. My kids often complain about the food I put before them. And of course, I tell them that there are many hungry children around the world who would love to eat what they are complaining about. I tell them they should be thankful for the food, even if it isn’t something that they absolutely love.
I highly recommend reading, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were captured and sentenced to work at Ravensbrook concentration camp during the horrible reign of Hitler. Even to Corrie’s surprise, her sister Betsie could find something to be thankful for in any situation. They were forced to sleep in a building far too small for the many women housed there. They slept on cots filled with straw that was contaminated with flees. Because of the flees, the guards would not go into the sleeping quarters. Betsie thanked God for the flees because it gave her a chance to share the gospel of Jesus with her roommates without fear of the guards overhearing. (If they had caught her, she and possibly all who were listening would have been killed.) Wow, that is a thankful heart! That is a mouth filled with praise!
Now, if Betsie could be thankful for flees, surely, we have something we can be thankful for. So, let’s make a decision to have a mouth filled with praise, and declare the Lord’s splendor all day long.
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