Seven Times a Day
“Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.” – Psalm 119:164
“Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.” – Psalm 119:164
In the week before Father’s Day, the subject of our Bible teaching was: “Why should we be concerned with pleasing our earthly fathers? What should we do to please them? And how does this translate to our relationship with our Heavenly Father?” As we listed ideas, we began to see many parallels between the relationship with our dads and with our Heavenly Father.
As a father (and now a grandfather), I realize that I do not expect or want payment for the many things I have done for my children through the years. It has been my joy to do good things for them. But I certainly appreciate it when my children simply and sincerely thank me! And here is another thing they can do: they can take time out of their busy lives to talk to me.
There is a funny thing about talking to Mom and Dad. When kids are little, they cannot have enough conversation. You walk in the door after a hard day’s work and the kids are all over you, hugging, talking, laughing, and explaining what went on in their lives that day. Enjoy this while you can; the day may come when they turn into teenagers! Now you walk in the door to be greeted by—dead silence. They respond to greetings with measured words like, “Hi. Fine.”
Like most dads, we love it when the timing is just right and our teenage son or daughter engages in a meaningful conversation with us. Perhaps they share some of their real issues (like relationships, college plans, career opportunities, or spiritual concerns). Being only human, we do not have all the answers, but it sure warms the heart to be able to discuss these things with them.
In much the same way, our heavenly Father longs to have meaningful dialog with us. We probably have a regular schedule for conversation with God in the morning, at church, and before bedtime, but let us not compartmentalize our lives to the point that we leave God out of the rest of our activities. Instead, let us weave Him into our daily lives. For example, as we drive along in the car, we can thank Him for saving our souls and for loving us. We can stop whatever we are doing to offer up a prayer on behalf of someone who is in need. Look out the window at God’s handiwork in nature and thank Him for His goodness to mankind.
The Psalmist said that he praised God seven times a day—not because seven is a magic number or that he had some quota to fill. But rather, he frequently and spontaneously offered up praise and thanksgiving to God because he really sensed and appreciated all that God had done for Him. Does doing this make our Father happy? You know it does!