I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

Praise should always follow answered prayer, just as the mist of gratitude rises from the earth when the warmth of the sun touches it. Has the Lord been kind to you and listened to your prayers? Then praise Him for as long as you live. Let the mature fruit fall back to the rich soil from which it grew. Don’t withhold your song from the One who has answered your prayer and granted the desire of your heart.

To remain silent after receiving God’s blessings is to be ungrateful—it is as shameful as the nine lepers who were healed but did not return to thank the Lord who cured them. Forgetting to praise God also harms us, because praise—like prayer—is one of the greatest ways to help our spiritual growth. It lifts our burdens, strengthens our hope, and increases our faith. Praise is a healthy, strengthening exercise that energises the believer and prepares them for new work in God’s service.

Thanking God for His blessings also encourages others. “The humble shall hear of it and be glad.” When we say, “Come, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together; this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,” others who have faced similar troubles will be comforted. Weak hearts will be strengthened, and weary believers revived as they hear our “songs of deliverance.” Their doubts and fears will fade as we encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. They too will “sing in the ways of the Lord” when they hear us glorify His holy name.

Praise is the most heavenly of all Christian duties. The angels do not need to pray, but they never stop praising—day and night. And the redeemed, clothed in white robes and holding palm branches, never tire of singing the new song: “Worthy is the Lamb.”

“Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King,
His love endures forever.”