If you are looking for some music and pretty scenery from Israel this video may be just what you are looking for. The song repeatedly reminds the listener to bless the Lord who made Heaven and Earth. One may wonder why that is deemed so important to some believers. Is it because God is a narcissist? Many people seem to get that impression, and just from the way some people talk about God I can very much understand how one may come to believe that. But there is another reason.
In order to preserve emotional wellbeing it is important for many to find balance between acknowledging the bad things that happen and being grateful. Sometimes it can be hard to find anything to be happy about. But being thankful for the creation of the earth, the flowers and other things can help us practice positivity. We do not find shalom by focusing solely on everything we lack. Notice I said solely focusing on lack, because it is in fact very important to acknowledge what is missing in order to improve because that understanding gives us important context to work with.
But if we only think about the bad or missing things we are at risk of getting discouraged and never improving due to a lack of hope. Giving praise is a way of practicing thankfulness so we can hold onto determination to keep going. That is why many people find if helpful to praise God for basic things that make it possible to live. But we can also practice thankfulness by telling other humans thank you for the things they do for you. It is not an either or. You can be thankful for a God who makes people and thankful for the people who are kind. And even when people are not kind you can be thankful that you have learned patience, and what kind of person not to be.
