"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)
Want to get closer to God? There's a "map" for that. Like GPS directions to someone's house - "turn here, go there" - Psalm 100 gives us clear instructions for entering God's presence: thanksgiving gets you through the gates, praise brings you into His courts. Praise and Thanksgiving aren't just nice words - they're practical tools for drawing near to God.
"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)
First, count your many blessings. When you start listing what you're thankful for, something shifts inside. Your focus moves from what's wrong to what's right, from what you lack to what you have. That's entering His gates. Then, when you begin praising God for who He is - His power, wisdom, faithfulness - He gets bigger and bigger in your mind. Your problems don't disappear, but they sure look smaller and smaller next to His greatness. That's entering His courts.
It's like walking toward something - the closer you get, the bigger it appears. Walk toward a building, and it grows larger with every step. Walk away, and it shrinks in your view. Praise works exactly like that. When we praise God, we're walking toward Him, drawing closer, and He fills more and more of our view. And in His presence our worries naturally diminish.
Here's the beautiful part: God's presence isn't a place - it's a Person. When we praise Him, we're not just changing our perspective; we're connecting with Him. Like a child climbing into their father's lap, praise brings us close to His heart. And in that presence, we find what our hearts need most - peace, comfort, strength.
Want to try it? Start with thanksgiving - list three (or twenty) specific things you're grateful for. Then move to praise - focus on who God is. Watch your worried thoughts and anxious feelings shrink as God fills more of your view.
Action Step: Set a "praise alarm" on your phone. When it rings, stop and practice entering His presence - first thanksgiving, then praise. Make it a daily habit.
Diving Deeper: Psalm 69:30; Philippians 4:6-7; Isaiah 26:3
"The more I look at God, the smaller everything else becomes."
- A.W. Tozer
From: Disciple's Roadmap » Stage 1: Appreciating God » Lesson 4: The Power of Praise