How can we praise the Lord? First we need to acknowledge that that everything good is from the Divine Creator. For to praise the Lord is to acknowledge and worship Him. When we humbly thank the Lord for all that He gives us - recognizing that without Him we would have no life at all - then we can praise Him with our thoughts, our hearts, and our actions.

There are many ways to praise the Lord - choral and instrumental music, poems and other literature, and the visual arts all have their place. For thousands of years, people have used music to praise the Lord because it can so fully express our feelings. Music stirs our affections and has the potential to lift our thoughts from what is mundane to what is spiritual. And when we sing about the Lord, the angels touch our hearts with happiness, increasing our joy.

Yet, in a sense, we offer our greatest praise to the Lord when we choose to live according to His Word. Though we may not always be consciously thinking of Him, when we act from a good understanding and a wise love, we are honoring the Lord. For in receiving His spiritual gifts and acting from them, we reflect His love and wisdom, and so glorify the Lord in our lives.

We hope that this month's materials will help you experience the joy of praising the Lord in a variety of ways for all of His wondrous works. You might want to start by reading a brief article by Rev. Grant Odhner called "Oh, Magnify the Lord." For quiet reflection, there are special prayers of praise for different age groups. The Psalms are a wonderful source for worshiping and celebrating the Lord. For examples of this see our quotations From the Word; talks about psalms for children, teens, and adults; and many delightful projects, including Praise Cards. And, of course, we have a lot of musical material this month, including suggestions for Listening to Music, a variety of praiseful songs, and an activity about instruments from Biblical times.