Everyday Praise

Charlotte Penelope
Charlotte Penelope

By TAHREN TERRELL BRANDON

May 29, 2020 1:47PM

Tahren Terrell Brandon
Tahren Terrell Brandon
“Hi, my name is Charlotte Penelope! This is the day that the Lord has made and I cannot help but to rejoice and be glad in it! With so many possibilities, I asked the Lord what He would like to do today.” He said, “Charlotte, get up, look around and see what you can see. Go outside and behold the trees, how their branches sway along with the breeze. Consider My marvelous works, how I created the heavens and laid the horizon on the surface of the sea, in all these things rejoice. Then consider how the winds and the waves, even the dust of the earth, obey my voice” (Ps. 118:24, Prov. 8:27, Lk. 8:22-25).

“Yes Lord,” I say, as I take the time to stop and reflect on God’s wonder, how He positions the clouds and makes the lightning and the thunder. “I see the evidence of Your handiwork, Lord, as I look up in the sky. It’s easy to see how much You care in everything I find. I hear the barks of my pups, Coconut and Ella, and realize they know you too. I see that, in Your hand is the life of every creature, the breath of all mankind and I cannot help but to be amazed by You” (Ps. 19:1, Job 12:7-10, 37:14-16).

“Your testimony is sure, Your law is perfect, You make wise the simple. One thing I desire and will seek after is to be surrounded everyday by Your presence, to behold Your beauty and to enquire in Your temple. Lord, the beasts of the field Honor You for Your goodness to all creation, such that no other can parallel. Teach me to use all that I have to do Your will so that I can honor You as well” (Ps. 19:7, 27:4,143:10, Is. 43:20).

“I give thanks to You Lord for allowing me to see so much of Your creation; each day Your grace is sufficient and Your mercies are new. No one has ever touched my heart this way, there is no one else like You” (Lam. 3:22-23, Jer. 10:6).

“Wow, it is the end of the day and I spent it all praising God’s Name. From now on Lord, every day I will praise You and give thanks, from the rising of the sun, till the going down of the same” (Ps. 113:3).

My daughter is incredible! The latter is a book I wrote to teach her about praising the Lord. Call it, “speaking those things that are not as though they were” because in her two years she has become quite the worshipper. She dances awake. I've never seen anything like it, she literally shimmies out of her sleep. She starts dancing before she opens her eyes and then she flashes a big smile like she's expecting the best day ever. I love observing her reaction to things like nature. She is mesmerized by the simple sound of a bird. She doesn't even have to see it; she hears chirping and gets excited and shouts “bird!” She’s amazed by everything like it was handcrafted for her and awaiting her discovery.

When was the last time someone made something for you, shaped and molded something especially for you? It was this morning, when God hung the sun in the sky. He didn't have to wake early to do it because He never sleeps. He was watching over you through the night to make sure you made it to this day. He wanted you to see the flowers that He made blossom just for you and hear the song He wrote for the birds to sing in honor of His love for you. His mercies are new every single day and every day we should look at Gods goodness to us with excitement and newness like a child. If only we could apply the same awe and enthusiasm that Charlotte Penelope has for life to our everyday praise. Wouldn’t it be something to go through the day with a childlike attitude of praise?

These are difficult times for many people and there is a lot of conversation that centers on despair. I can understand why someone would talk like that if they didn't know Jesus, but I don't understand the saints engaging in that type of conversation. Shift your focus from the problem to the Problem Solver and give Him praise. Wake up dancing and you won't have time to fixate on the trials of the day. Shimmy out of your sleep into an attitude of praise. Expect the best and see the difference it makes in your life and in the lives of those around you. God has been good to us! From the rising of the sun, till the going down of the same, give Him praise!