Psalm 34:1-2 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.**
What is there that calls for a continuous response? A response, over and over and over again, that doesn’t leave me feeling tired or stripped-dry?
You.
You call me to praise. A pouring out that fills me up. Even when I come empty, I leave with hands full. I worship You, God who gives and receives my praise.
It’s You. You call forth. I give – even just a little drop that is squeezed from my spent flesh. And in giving praise, I receive You.
God, oh God who calls us to bless You – continually, all day long, never-ending blessing from my mouth. Impossible, it seems. I have nothing to give, until one word of praise from my mouth comes back like a boomerang. You fill me up with praise.
And then I can’t help but praise.
What I once thought was work is now sustenance. Hours spent toiling in my day-to-day are parched without praise intermissions. You bless me as I praise you. You ask of me that which will give me life: adoration. Adoring the God-Man unending.
I can’t help but praise.
You win back my thoughts, win back my words when I speak up from looking up. My tongue, under new ownership; my life, living praise.
All times, morning-noon-night, are chances to praise. Because, in doing so, I see life differently. I see You differently. You are the ever-expanding-to-fit-my-capacity God. And You ask of me the very thing which increases my capacity: praise.
God, worthy to receive all praise, is benevolent enough to first fill our empty mouths with that praise. You impart. I respond with my life. Now, ever-so-slowly warming to a life of praise.
God who made Your people to praise, You made your people to change. To grow. To develop deep heart-and-life responses to You. Those responses, up like a spring, come from praise.
Thank you for calling me to that which is changing my life, minute by minute.
(This is an editing re-post. Mamas on road-trips with their babies need to be resourceful.)
Each Monday, the column of 
adoration to the right-side of my blog moves front-and-center, here, and I invite others who are doing the same — stretching their heart to lift God’s Word up and back to Him, despite every obstacle the day presents — to add their link below under “Choosing Adoration”. You can link people back here from your post by grabbing the code on the right side of my blog. If you don’t have a blog but are, yourself, a lover of words and of God and of God’s word, feel free to add an adoration of your own in the comment section. Whether there is one of us or one hundred — and even if the words are written “merely” on our hearts — we will give Him the praise He’s due.
**For a context to this little space on my blog, read: Why I Adore. You can easily subscribe to these devotional meditations as they are delivered, by using this feed: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/feed or by entering your email address in the second box on the right-hand side… (scroll up a bit).
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