Okay I am clearly ripping off John Piper with the title of this post. Piper has written things such as Don’t Waste Your Life and Don’t Waste Your Cancer. The reminder is a good one and very fitting for the passage I have in view:

Psalm 9:13-14

13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation. (ESV)

Throughout the Psalms we find the Psalmist calling God to action for the sake of his glory or for his name’s sake. The same thing is in view here only the Psalmist is saying he will be the one to glorify God for his salvation.

In the Psalms one thing we learn is that the proper response to God’s work is always praise. Here David has very public praise in mind: “that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.” This would be the gates of Jerusalem. He will stand in the gates of Jerusalem and tell the people coming and going about the good thing the Lord has done.

When God does something for us (and everything we have is a good gift from the Lord) our proper response should be praise. The greater the work, the greater the praise. For believers the greatest gift is the gift of everlasting salvation through the eternal Son. An everlasting gift merits everlasting praise. This doesn’t start when we get to Heaven, praising God for salvation begins here on earth.

But salvation is not the only work of God that merits praise. Praise him for your home, the food you eat, the family you have, your friends, your church, your workplace, all of these things. If something is lacking, go so far as to praise God for the trial, thanking him for the victory he has over the world so that you do not have to fear defeat and failure. Christ has overcome the world. Praise the Lord!

Don’t waste your salvation. Don’t keep it to yourself. God has blessed you so that you will bless him, so that you will tell of his name among the nations. That means friends, family, neighbors, and people all over the world. Tell them of the good thing the Lord has done for you.