When I was a little girl and did something that I knew would displease my parents, I tried to avoid them so they wouldn’t see the guilt on my face (I could never hide what I was feeling…). Those times of hiding away were awful because I loved my mom and dad, and I wanted to be with them. Conversely, when I obeyed and behaved appropriately, I had no reason to try to escape their presence. That was the joyful time for me. Praise sings through our hearts when we are in right relationship with God. We’re in right relationship with God when our conscience is clear. Our conscience is clear when we’ve learned to follow His ways instead of striving to please self. Do you see how it comes around? Praise springs from an upright heart that is committed to seeking His ways.
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He is with me
The last sentence of this verse—“You are my God”—gives me the happy kind of chills. MY speaks of a personal relationship. When something belongs to us, we take care of it. It’s important to us. My relationship with my Father-God is most important relationship I have or ever will have.…
He’s ready
When my girls were little and they had a question, they would tug at my hand. I’d lean down to their level, listen to whatever troubled them, and respond accordingly. Even now that they’re all grown and have children of their own, I still get an occasional phone call: “Mom,…
Finding our meaning
When I was a girl, I liked to read at night. And I liked to snack while I was reading. I developed the habit of tossing the “leftovers” of my snack behind my headboard when I was done. When we prepared to move to another house, my bed was taken…

