The OPPE of praise

Spiritual resource to share: gratitude

Every Sunday School class of mine goes through a praise phase. There is so much in the Bible about praise, it is worth at least a major focus!

Consider many of the Psalms and the beginnings to many of the Paul's letters in the New Testament which start with praise and gratitude:

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.

So why all this about praise? My Sunday School kids helped me break it down:

• Praise opens our thought to more and more of God's goodness.
• Praise purifies. Nothing can enter into a heart full of praise.
• Praise protects. Constantly affirming the reality of God as good automatically denies evil a place for activity.
• Praise establishes us. Acknowledging God, we are actually acknowledging who we are as children of God. Our inseparable relationship to God remains intact.

To remember this, we referred to this as the OPPE of praise to which they added more attributes of praise: it helps us acknowledge God, remember good, love others, etc. Whether this is done in the stillness of the morning, the quiet of the night or in the middle of an active day, praise is as nourishing and uplifting as the air we breathe!

For more on gratitude and love click on here and here and here for other fellow healers' comments. And for a rousing, inspiring blast of praise, click on the picture above or below of the Soweto Gospel Choir. Wonderful.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.