Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
Psalm 9:11 (NKJV)
What does it look like to live as one who walks in light of the truth of Jesus’ resurrection? What are the characteristics of a life surrendered to new life in Christ?
One facet of living a resurrected, new-life-in-Christ life is praise. Praising God can look a lot of different ways, but according to Psalm 9:11, one element of praising God is to declare His deeds among the people.
So what does it mean to declare? A contemporary dictionary will include the idea of stating something emphatically. The Hebrew word translated “declare” in our verse today is a verb that means “to be conspicuous.”
I like that idea, declaring as conspicuously stating something. For some reason, it reminds me of the lyrics to the childhood chorus, “This Little Light of Mine.” I have memories of singing loudly the line: “Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m going to let it shine!” as a child.
I was very emphatic about sharing Jesus’ light as a six- or seven-year-old. May I be so bold today!
According to Psalm 9:11 we are to declare or to be conspicuous about God’s deeds. We are to sing praises to Him and sing His praise “among the people.”
This reminds me of 1 Peter 3:15 in which we are encouraged to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us. I am also aware of the fact that there are days in which I need to declare His deeds to myself in order to be reminded of the truth of the Good News of Jesus.
Whether you need an exhortation today to be more conspicuous about God’s deeds before others or to preach to yourself through recounting His goodness, I hope you will find in Him something marvelous to declare today.