The psalmist said, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth… magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.’ (Psalm 34:1–3 ^NKJV) Observe three things in this Scripture:

(1) Praise comes from an act of your will. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ It’s not an impulse; it’s a decision you make regardless of your feelings. The word hallelujah is a command form of the word ‘praise’. It’s an expression of worship, but it’s also an order to start praising the Lord.

(2) Praise stirs your emotions. ‘My soul [emotions] shall make its boast in the Lord.’ (Psalm 34:2 ^NKJV) First, David praised the Lord because he was commanded to. Second, he praised Him because he wanted to. That’s the order of things. If you want to change your feelings—change your focus. Before it was over, David was singing, ‘The Lord redeems the soul of His servants… none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.’ (Psalm 34:22 ^NKJV)

(3) Praise rubs off on others. ‘Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.’ Praise is contagious; it changes the atmosphere around you. When you get together with people of praise, decorum gives way to delight, and you find yourself lifted to a realm of joy you never knew. And praise has many forms of expressions. Psalm 150 outlines nine different ways to praise God. You can speak, shout, sing, clap your hands or raise them. You can play musical instruments, you can stand, kneel, or dance. The point is—be sure to praise God!