“Always” and “more and more” do not leave much wiggle room, and what is hard for us to do when things are fine seems impossible when they are not; when hardship worsens, we tend to lean into hopelessness and pray less and less. It’s not like the psalmist was in a good season; enemies were conspiring to kill him, and things had gotten so bad everyone assumed he had been abandoned by God and others.

What was his response to such a soul-crushing, life-threatening reality? “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.“ For the psalmist, hope and praise were not contingent on circumstances, but on God’s character. God is worthy of praise, so he leaned in more when life tried to halt his song; God is a God of hope, so he kept hoping even if the evidence shouted otherwise. This was his posture, and he cemented it by writing and singing these eternal realities.

We think praise is only to benefit God, but what if it is actually a gift to us? What if the act of praising Him halts our negative ruminations, shifts our gaze from lies to truth, and fills the void lift by hopes deferred?

What could it look like for me to praise Him more and more? I believe this 30 Day journey is a simple example, one He lovingly nudged me to engage; it’s created daily moments to choose hope and praise over complaint. What could simple praise look like for you?