My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
your praises all day long.
Psalm 35:28
Reading verse 28 in isolation could lead us to assume David was in a season of joy and contentment. To truly appreciate this ending to Psalm chapter 35, we must begin in verse one and read all the way through. The first 27 verses paint the full picture of David’s current circumstances. The bulk of the chapter is an appeal to God, asking Him to intervene:
- “…contend with those who contend with me…” (verse 1)
- “May those who seek my life be disgraced…” (verse 4)
- “…may ruin overtake them by surprise…” (verse 8)
- “Rescue my life from their ravages …” (verse 17)
We could fill the page with David’s cries to God. Clearly, this man of God has learned to do his fighting on his knees and he holds nothing back! He as a warrior, but he also knew which battles belong to God.
He ends his prayerful appeal on a confident note—a testimony of his steadfast faith that God will provide:
My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
your praises all day long.
David’s declaration teaches us that praising God is a choice. He has laid his circumstances before God, and those circumstances are indeed dire. While nothing has yet changed on the outside, David’s heart has changed on the inside as he systematically brings his burden before the Lord. Anxiety evaporates and gives way to praise. Fear yields to faith.
Do you see it? David chooses to praise God even before he sees how and when God will answer!
There is power in praise!
David’s heart was the battleground. And giving it all to God brought the victory. He ends in praise, and he declares the praise will continue all day long.
Can you and I take up that challenge? Can praise be our ammunition against the enemy? When fear creeps in, can we choose to declare God’s righteousness and praise Him when life is hard and the struggle is real?
It’s so easy to praise God in hindsight—to look back and remember and praise Him for what He has already done. The victory that’s been delivered. The provision that was received. But it takes a heart of deep faith to praise Him in advance and then choose to keep on praising Him all day long.
May we be women of God who praise God all day long … come what may!
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