Spiritual Hiccups - Gratitude and Praise

O sing to the LORD a new song;
     sing to the LORD, all the earth. 
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
     tell of his salvation from day to day.  
Declare his glory among the nations,
     his marvelous works among all the peoples.  
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
     he is to be revered above all gods. 
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
     but the LORD made the heavens. 

There was an interesting article in The New York Times yesterday on gratitude.  It referenced research on gratitude that demonstrates how practicing gratitude actually has health benefits that are scientifically measurable.  People who made weekly entries in a "gratitude journal," listing five things they were grateful for, reported being happier and more optimistic than a control group who kept no such journal.  They also reported less physical ailments and exercised more.  In addition, the fell asleep easier, slept longer, and awoke more refreshed.


Gratitude and praise are closely related.  Genuinely praising God comes out of a gratitude for the goodness and blessing of God.  Gratitude and praise are not about getting something from God.  They are responses to what God has already done.  Very often, religious practice gets this mixed up.  It becomes something done to get a benefit, whether it be salvation, blessings, answered prayer, or some other desire.  This sort of religion worships one of the "gods of the peoples" noted in the psalm, idols that can be managed for out benefit.

But true praise and gratitude have no such utilitarian purposes.  Rather they acknowledge the reality of God's goodness and providence.  And as the research in that NY Times article pointed out, gratitude is a practice that can be picked up and learned.  When we take time to look around at all the gifts we have received, we can become more grateful people and, it turns out, much happier people.

Tomorrow many of us will pause between the food, football, and start of Christmas shopping to give thanks.  But perhaps we should also begin a more regular practice of giving thanks.  What are you thankful for?

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