Psalm 34:1-3

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” vs. 1

One of our most cherished values as a country is the freedom of religion, which in practical terms can also be thought of as “freedom from religion.” We’re accustomed to speak of the separation of church and state and generally recognize that it’s not a good idea to mix politics with religion. Many even go a step further and don’t mix anything with their religion. For them faith is deeply personal and private and they wouldn’t dream of speaking publicly about what they believe. As a result God-talk has become rare in secular spaces, except among the crude and foul-mouthed. The psalmist would have found such practices bizarre. In this verse from a psalm of thanksgiving he indicates that blessing and praising God is a part of his regular conversation. It’s puzzling why this isn’t true for more of us. Perhaps we’re fearful of being labeled as a religious zealot…or maybe we don’t want to be offend the sensibilities of the secularists around us. Whatever the reason, the net result has been the marginalizing of our witness. If we truly do love life in this universe, why not thank our Creator every chance we have? When we see scenes of beauty and acts of kindness, why not offer an audible word of praise to Jesus? And if someone hears us all the better. Our God-connections are never meant to be private.

Thought for the Day: How do I use the name of God in my daily conversations?