As I left a lovely worship service with echoes of “Ride on King Jesus” still stirring in my heart, I went to get a palm branch – a tangible reminder of the victory we have in Jesus – when I was thunderstruck. The palm branches were so large that they were not in buckets but in large barrels! Delighted, I took a palm branch that was nearly as long as I am tall. This plant set my spiritual imagination on fire as I imagined Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem with people waving these huge palm branches and laying them down on the road as he humbly entered the city. It was a far cry from my original vision where palms were the size of a small hand fan.

As I rode along with the edges of the palm leaves blowing behind me, I began to think about the importance of praise and thanksgiving. Earlier this week, I received a thought-provoking text which asked: “What if you woke up tomorrow with only what you had thanked God for today?” That convicted my heart. We take so much for granted every day. We tend to focus on what’s next or what we don’t have, instead of acknowledging God’s faithfulness which constantly blesses us in so many ways.

Praise and thanksgiving are essential parts of a rich prayer life. Praise gets God’s attention. It shifts focus from us to our Creator. He is the one who can make things happen. John 15:5 says “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” It is interesting that we can holler, cheer, and cry during a performance or sporting event but praise for our Creator often arrives in hushed and reserved tones. Psalm 100:4 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”  Everyone likes to be appreciated. Hasn’t a compliment lifted your mood? When your sacrifice is acknowledged, doesn’t it make the sacrifice feel worthwhile? How much more is it with the Master of the Universe? When The One who knows us intimately knows that we appreciate and acknowledge what He does, it gets his attention ahead of submitting our petitions.

I believe just like palm branches of yesteryear, my praise used to relatively small and somewhat mechanical. However, as God brings us through difficult trials, our faith grows. As our faith grows, our praise grows. As our praise grows, our thanksgiving grows. We more readily reflect on situations where He has stepped in to correct, deliver, help, heal, comfort, provide for, and keep us. We see His favor at work in our lives. We experience joy unspeakable as we come into an awareness of Him moving on our behalf. We learn to watch for God’s leading and have a sense of peace that goes beyond our current circumstance. Our life focus shifts, moving from a self-centered existence to one where our every action become an act of worship as God becomes the center of our joy.

I encourage you to wave your spiritual palm branch, honoring God with your praise, worship, and thanksgiving. I believe that no matter what size your praise may currently be, giving thanks to ALLmighty (that’s not a typo) God helps your praise to grow. 2 Corinthians 4:15 says “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”