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A Prayer to Make Praising God a Behavior
By Ashley Moore
“Seven instances a day I reward you in your righteous guidelines.” – Psalm 119:164, ESV
Have you ever ever heard of behavior stacking? It is a apply you possibly can implement when attempting to create a brand new behavior, the place you connect the brand new behavior to one thing you have already got a behavior of doing. For instance, if you wish to start a brand new behavior of consuming 16 further ounces of water a day, every night time, you’ll place a recent bottle of water beside your toothbrush. In order that as quickly as you’re carried out brushing your enamel within the morning (present behavior), you possibly can chug the water bottle (new behavior).
So typically, our new habits fail to actually turn out to be second nature as a result of we make them too tough to include or, somewhat, too simple to gloss over in our day-to-day routine. Have you ever ever skilled failing to create a brand new behavior?
Possibly you acquire a membership to the health club however solely went a few instances as a result of the journey throughout city was an excessive amount of hassle. Maybe you wished to start out consuming more healthy, however the added meal prep was so arduous to include that you just discovered your self choosing the drive-thru once more.
Lastly, you set a brand new purpose to learn the Bible proper earlier than calling it an evening however end up crawling into mattress after a busy day, unable to learn with out drifting off. These habits didn’t stick as a result of they had been too arduous to implement. They labored in opposition to your already well-ingrained routine, and ultimately, the resistance overpowered your willpower to create a brand new routine.
After I learn the Psalmist’s devotion to reward God seven instances a day in Psalm 119:164, I’ve to marvel if behavior stacking was concerned. Commentators are divided on whether or not praising seven instances is literal or if the quantity seven signifies a number of instances a day when the writer stopped to reward. Nonetheless, all of us can agree that praising God many instances a day can solely positively influence an individual.
Possibly our different habits weren’t sustainable, and I hope that behavior stacking generally is a great tool to assist us give more healthy habits one other shot. However maybe we can provide behavior stacking a shot by attempting to implement extra reward into one thing we already do a number of instances a day. Maybe let every time you examine your telephone at this time immediate you to supply up brief and candy praises to God.
Let’s pray:
Pricey Lord,
You’re worthy of our reward. All day, day by day, our lives needs to be stuffed with us providing our reward to you! You created every part. The solar, the moon, the celebs, the mountains, and the bushes. You made a selection of creatures and a various group of image-bearers that mirror Your glory! You gave us the legislation by which to reside an ideal life, and once we didn’t reside as much as it due to our sins, you despatched Your Son to reside it in our locations on our behalf. In an upside-down deal, you alternate Your righteousness for our transgressions, Lord. In order that we might inherit everlasting life with you perpetually in Paradise. Lord, what else might we ask for? Oh, however how we do ask for extra? Sadly, we’re simply discontented and distracted by the pleasures of this life.
Lord, forgive us once we fixate extra on what we don’t have and neglect to thank You and reward You for all that You may have given to us along with everlasting life. Lord, You didn’t need to; you didn’t need to make meals style candy or dress flowers together with your sensible coloration palette. You didn’t have to offer us satisfying friendships and relationships on Earth. You didn’t have to color lovely sunrises and sunsets every day for us. However you probably did, and also you proceed to do issues that immediate us to reward You! Lord, You didn’t need to create us to take pleasure in it once we supply You reward, however in Your goodness, you made reward helpful to us by rising our pleasure! Thank You, Lord. I ask that You’ll assist every of us to apply behavior stacking our praises to You with one thing we recurrently achieve this that our reward would enhance, Jesus.
In Your identify, I pray, amen.
Photograph credit score: ©GettyImages/kieferpix
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