Psalm 111:1
"Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation."
One of the themes of the Book of Psalms is to praise the LORD. Of all the people who ought to be praised, the LORD is most worthy of praise. I would say that we are all guilty of not praising the LORD enough. Sadly, we will sing the praises and works of mankind, but rarely do we stop and spend time praising the LORD.
Psalm 111 shows us that we are to praise the works of the LORD. God says in verse 2, "The works of the LORD are great,..." Though there are many works for which we could and should praise the LORD, God gives us some specific works for which He desires praise.
First, praise the LORD for His work of righteousness. Righteousness is doing right works. In other words, God wants you to praise Him for the work of Calvary. Christian, when is the last time you stopped and spent ten minutes praising God for what He did on Calvary? Do you not remember that His work of Calvary saved you from your sins? A week should never go by that you don't stop and praise the work of Calvary. Praise Him for the work of what His shed blood did by washing your sins away.
Second, praise the LORD for His work of compassion. Verse 4 says that the LORD is "full of compassion." When you were hurting, it was the LORD's compassion that brought you through. Have you praised Him for being compassionate towards you? Nobody deserves the LORD's compassion, yet He found it in Himself to show you compassion when you were hurting. When a loved one passed away, it was the LORD's compassion that helped you. When you experienced life's hurts, it was the LORD's compassion that comforted you. You ought to take time to praise Him for His compassion.
Third, praise the LORD for His work of provision. Verse 5 talks about God giving "meat" to those who fear Him. Have you ever looked in your cabinets or refrigerator and stopped to praise the LORD for providing your food? I'm afraid all of us have taken for granted the provision God provides for us on a daily basis. You ought to be sure to praise Him for your cabinets being full of food.
Fourth, praise the LORD for His work of protection. In verse 6, God reminds us how He protected us from the heathen's attack. When the world has tried to destroy you, God was there to protect you. Everyone at some time has had the LORD's protecting hand save them from the attacks of the heathen. You ought to take time to praise Him for His protection.
Finally, praise the LORD for His work of redemption in your life. Verse 9 says, "He sent redemption unto his people:..." A day should never go by that you don't praise Him for saving your soul. The work of God's redemption in your life saved you from Hell. The LORD's work of redemption saved your life from much heartache that sin would have brought if He hadn't redeemed you. Don't take for granted the work of redemption, but stop and praise Him for this great work.
Friend, don't ever let a day go by that you don't take time to praise the LORD for His works in your life. Maybe on one day one of these works means more to you than the other; then take time to praise Him for that work. On the other hand, you could take two or three of these works and spend time praising Him collectively for them. However you choose to do it, be sure to regularly praise the LORD for His works.