“I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).

David was going through a very difficult period of time in his life. Wicked King Saul hunted him daily as though he was an enemy. Imagine living every day knowing that the king and his forces were seeking to take your life. God wonderfully protected David who would become the next king of Israel. Even though life was extremely difficult, David appreciated the Lord’s blessings. In fact, David made it a habit to praise the Lord continually. A habit is formed by a repeated action. Often the bad habits are formed very quickly. It seems like good habits take longer to become ingrained. David had a good habit. He praised the Lord. Have you ever been around a chronic complainer? Have you ever spent time with a person who could find the dark cloud behind every silver lining? Sometimes people become habitual complainers. David sought to become one who would habitually praise the Lord for His goodness. This doesn’t mean that David lived in denial and pretended everything was all right when it wasn’t. But David did look above the difficulties to remember and praise the Lord for His faithfulness. This sounds like a very good thing for us to be doing today.

For today: Lord, please help me to complain less and praise You more.