Praising God should be a lifestyle among believers. Think of the fact that we are
described as a royal priesthood. In the Mosaic order, it would have been preposterous
to think of priesthood without sacrifice. The same thought can be carried over to the
New Testament, except that we are to offer a different form of sacrifice. Praise is the
new sacrifice! Yesterday, we learned that one way to stimulate praise is by observing
the wondrous works of God in nature. We find another inspiration today. The passage
for today’s meditation gives insight into village life in ancient Israel. Usually, young
maidens were responsible for fetching water from central wells typically located on the
village outskirts. They were always at the mercy of archers who might rob them. Moses
once delivered the daughters of the Priest of Midian from such marauders. It was such
deliverance that Deborah the prophetess asked the people of God to celebrate.

“It is perfectly normal to thank God over and again for any given kindness of God in your life.”

The critical thing for us today is to examine the idea of rehearsing the righteous acts of
the Lord. To rehearse is to go over a list of items; it is to repeat something such as a
story. Those who would grow in the art of praising God must keep a record of the acts
of God in their lives in particular, and in the whole of creation in general. In addition, it
should be emphasized that it is not enough to praise God for an act only once;
otherwise, the idea of rehearsing would not be necessary. It is perfectly normal to thank
God over and again for any given kindness of God in your life.