Psalms

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  Psalm 34:1, KJV

When my daughter was going through her terrible twos, I found I had two ways in which I could respond.  I could throw a tantrum right along with her, or I could sing hymns and songs of praise.  While I may have felt like doing the former, I chose the latter, and she would kick and scream to the off-key sounds of "Awesome God" or "Great is Thy Faithfulness".  It may not have stopped the tantrum (in fact, it would sometimes give her more to scream about - "Stop singing!!!"), but it helped me to keep perspective.  I also realized that my mom sang a lot when we kids were growing up.  Hmm...

The Psalms are there to help us keep perspective.  They remind us, again and again, of the greatness of God.  They assure us that He is our Shepherd, our Rock, our Fortress, our Help, and our Shield.  He is rich in love and goodness.  He is faithful and just.  He is our Provider, our Deliverer, and our Strength.  His mercies endure forever.  He counts our tears.  He forgives us.  He heals us.  His ears are open to our cries.  He alone is worthy of our praise, now and forevermore.

I Samuel 2:19

Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

There are several things I like about this verse, but for the purposes of this blog, I'll focus on the second half of the sentence.  Hannah regularly went to worship with her husband. 

Worshipping together as a couple is so very important.  I have taught Sunday School and churchtime for years, but I have come to realize that, as important as that is, I also need to make sure there are times when I am sitting by my husband's side, worshipping, praying, and hearing the Word of God with him.  It's a vital part of a healthy, godly marriage.