Hi, I’m Brice Tabor author of Behold: Experience A Lifestyle Of Intimacy With Your Creator. I’d like to welcome you to God Today. Today’s Hebrew word for praise that we are looking at is ‘towdah.’ ‘Towdah’ means ‘an extension of the hand and adoration to God.’ This word is found 32 times in Old Testament scripture. While not used as frequently as some of the other words in Hebrew for praise, it is one that most of us engage with on a consistent basis.
Many, if not most scriptures that use this word, are in the context of joy and thankfulness. For example, Jeremiah 33:11 says, “…the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say: ‘Praise the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his mercy endures forever––––and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise ‘towdah’ into the house of the LORD…” And Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving ‘towdah’ and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name.” Psalm 107:22 says, “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”
‘Towdah’ is a beautiful expression of praise, and one that most of us are commonly familiar with. So what I like to do is activate this living word and jump right into prayer. Now, as we pray, focus on what you’re thankful for today, don’t overthink it. You can be thankful for the air you are breathing, if you’d like. As we pray with thanksgiving, lift up your hands as to offer Him your love and gratitude for what you are thankful for. We’re going to put ‘towdah’ into action right now. Are you ready? Let’s pray. Hallelujah! Praise you, Lord God. We are grateful today. We are thankful for today. For the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus Christ, we are thankful. For the impartation of the Holy Spirit inside of us, we are thankful. For the very breath of life we now have and are breathing, we are thankful. Today, we make simple love covenants to you. We give our vows of pure adoration and worship to you. We offer you our hearts full of love and praise. We say, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Just take a deep breath and exhale. Just tell Him, “Thank you for that breath.” Let’s do it again. Breathe in, breathe out. “Thank you Lord, for that breath. We love you so much, Lord, and I thank you that the truth of ‘towdah’ is impacting our lives, and helping us grow into the fully devoted followers that you already see us as. Amen.”