Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works, I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
David responds to the Lord’s marvelous works by singing praises with his whole heart and rejoicing in the Lord. Praise is expressing our appreciation and understanding of His great worth. We say thank you for each aspect of His divine nature. Our inward attitude becomes an outward expression. And also vice versa: when we outwardly praise God we inwardly feel better.
God is always good, always faithful, always loving and forgiving, and always doing marvelous works on our behalf. Therefore, He can always be praised in every circumstance we find ourselves in, and we can always rejoice in the Lord. When we praise God we expand our awareness of who He is. When we study the Word we can find many characteristics of God for which we can give Him thanks. Praising God and thanking Him for everything lifts our spirits above the circumstances. And the Enemy of our soul must flee and let us alone.