Praise Is for Messy Mondays Too

Have you ever noticed how much we wait to feel something before we act?

We wait for motivation before we move. We wait for clarity before we decide. We wait for peace before we praise.

But sometimes, it’s the praise that shifts everything.

Yesterday at church, we flipped our normal order of service. Instead of opening with a full worship set, we sang just one song, went straight into the Word, and saved the rest of the worship for the end.

Why?

Because we wanted to respond, not just sing. And I truly believe God was reminding us of something we forget too easily: praise is not the warm-up. It’s not filler. It’s the pathway.

Psalm 100:4 says,
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.”

It doesn’t say enter because you feel thankful. It says enter with thanksgiving. You don’t need everything to be perfect. You just need to step in.

Praise positions your heart for God’s presence.

You don’t have to wait for the breakthrough to praise. You praise because God is good. You praise because He’s worthy. You praise because He meets you in it.

It’s not about hype. It’s about access.

Let praise go first

I think about 2 Chronicles 20, when King Jehoshaphat faced a massive army coming against him. Instead of sending soldiers to the front lines, he sent the worshippers. The singers went first. And as they began to praise, God set ambushes against the enemy.

Or Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were in prison. They weren’t praising after their release. They praised in the midnight hour, chained up and beaten, with no clue what would happen next. And as they sang, the ground shook and the prison doors flew open.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for things to shift before you praise. But what if it’s your praise that causes the shift?

Your voice still matters on a Monday

It’s Monday morning. Maybe you’re diving into meetings, errands, deadlines, or routines. Maybe there’s heaviness lingering from the weekend. Maybe it just feels like another ordinary start to another ordinary week.

But praise doesn’t belong only in a Sunday service. It belongs in the middle of your real, messy, regular life.

Before you get too far into your to-do list today, pause.

Take a breath.

Lift a prayer of thanksgiving.

Turn on a worship song.

Tell God that He is good.

Because praise isn’t just for the mountaintop. It’s for the Monday. And it’s still the pathway into His presence.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, before I reach for my list or check my phone, I reach for You. I want to begin this day not with stress but with surrender. Thank You for being steady when life feels scattered. Help me to praise You not just when it’s easy, but when it’s messy. Set my heart on You this morning, and let Your presence shape everything that follows. Amen.

Photo by Junior REIS on Unsplash