There are some things that we should do all the time. As Christians, there are too many areas in which we are inconsistent. I know that is a weakness that I am constantly trying to correct in my life. The Bible is full of passages that encourage us to be steadfast (John 15:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15:58). One area that we should particularly strive to be consistent in is blessing God.

Psalm 34:1 (ESV)
¹ I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

We should all try to imitate David in this. The word bless means to salute or to speak well of. In the New Testament, the Greek word for bless is eulogētos, from which we get the English word eulogy. When we eulogize a person at a funeral, we are speaking well of how that person lived while he or she was alive. So, David was determined to speak well of or praise God. It was his fixed purpose in life. He did not say he might bless the Lord, he said, “I will.” This should be our fixed purpose as well.

When would David bless the Lord? He had a mindset to do it at all times. He followed those words up by telling us that he would praise the Lord continually. If we want to reach our full potential as Christian, consistently praising God must be a goal that we strive for every day. While we do not know what tomorrow will bring, our determination should be to praise the Lord, come what may. Paul preached this truth to various saints when he wrote to them. Listen to what he said to the brethren at Thessalonica.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
¹⁸ Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Notice, praising God, in the form of thanksgiving, is not anything about which we should brag; it is simply carrying out the will of God. He deserves our praise, and He demands it. The circumstances of life should not be a factor. We should not bless the Lord only when things are going our way. Instead, let us realize that even the difficult circumstances of life can help us grow as Christians. We may not like them in the moment, but looking back, we should thank God for even the troubles of life because they can help us grow. Paul said, “…we rejoice in suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3). Paul did not just write about what others should do; he practiced what he preached. In a jail in Phillipi, after being beaten by Roman authorities and thrown into the inner-dungeon, Paul and Silas praised God in song (Acts 16:25). Paul’s example in life gave him the credibility to encourage brethren to praise God regardless of their circumstances. Thus, he could exhort the saints at Ephesus in the following way.

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)
20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

There are some things that we should all do “at all times.” For David, one of those things was to bless the Lord by praising Him with his mouth continually. Let us endeavor to do the same thing. Let us bless the Lord no matter what the circumstances of life may be. Both good times and bad times can help us to grow.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.