How to Get Your Heart Praising God in the Morning

Praising God in the morning excites my heart. When I was a kid and teenager, the music itself would excite my heart. But God took me on a journey, and now I know what His manifest presence is like. It’s palpable in a way that is distinctly different from His omnipresence. It makes my heart come alive because I understand how much He loves me. Oh, that everyone could know this!

Why Do We Need to Praise God?

Do you ever wonder why we praise God? I can’t tell you how many times the enemy has whispered in my ear that very question. Like he’s trying to make me feel stupid. Not happening! But just in case the question comes to mind, I have some answers.

  • God commanded it. Psalm 150:6 (ESV) says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!”
  • It changes the atmosphere because God inhabits our praise. Psalm 22:3 (ESV) says, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” That actually means “dwelling in the praises” there. I love that!
  • Praise is a weapon. Oh my goodness, I wouldn’t have wanted to be in King Jehoshaphat’s shoes. A vast army declared war on his kingdom, but after he and his people consulted God, victory was proclaimed. He set the singers in front of the army to head into battle! How absurd, right? But “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.” (2 Chronicles 20:20 NLT) The Lord fought for them when they praised Him.

When we praise God, it doesn’t make God bigger and better; He doesn’t need our praise. Yet He desires it. It doesn’t change Him but rather us. When we give Him praise, He then becomes more glorified in our thinking.

From Fetters to Freedom

Remember the Children of Israel in bondage in Egypt? God heard their cries, and one main reason He wanted them free was so that they could worship Him.

“Go back to Pharaoh,” the LORD commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.’” Exodus 9:1 NLT

God doesn’t want our hands weighed down with burdens but lifted to Him in praise!

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for sharing the Gospel. But the weight of their physical chains or their dire situation didn’t stop them from glorifying God with their voice. They were praising God in the morning—the wee hours of the morning, starting around midnight. They didn’t care who heard, and God set them free:

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Acts 16:25-26 NLT

You know what that tells me? That I can go from feeling like a prisoner to praising and God will take me from fetters to freedom!

And what followed that was salvation; the jailer and his whole household got saved (verses 27-34).

Go from feeling like a prisoner to praising, and God will take you from fetters to freedom. Click to Tweet

5 Verses to Get Your Heart Praising God in the Morning

Why did I pick these verses? They help transform my thinking. When it’s easy to allow my heart to be chained down with the anxieties of the day ahead, they help get me praising God in the morning.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1 NASB

In the verse listed above, David tells his soul to bless the Lord. We don’t always feel like it. But David knew his feelings shouldn’t dictate the way he loved God.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! Psalm 57:7 NASB

Then here, it declares, “my heart is steadfast.” If we don’t let our feelings dictate our day, then our heart will be steadfast and fixed on the Lord.

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Psalm 146:1-2 NASB

Then, at this point, my heart is directed to praise the Lord. “I will”—that’s my will now.

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16 (NASB)

This is walking in a place of victory, where we identify with God’s strength, and know He is our refuge today. Praise to God becomes a song of joy.

O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness. Psalms 59:17 (NASB)

Now, His strength is filling my heart. God is my stronghold, not faulty, fleeting feelings.

Grab your printable stand-on-your-own Scripture cards, accessible to KRB Insiders only.

Grab your printable stand-on-your-own Scripture cards with these verses, accessible to KRB Insiders only.

When I get my heart praising God in the morning, I realize He is my stronghold, not faulty, fleeting feelings. Click to Tweet

Praising God in the Morning for Freedom

God laid the word “freedom” on my heart for this year (or at least for this season), and as the word quickened in my spirit, so did the beautiful hearts receiving from this ministry. From that day, I knew God wanted freedom to be a theme that coursed through our hearts straight from Him.

I’ve been praying for every reader, KRB Insider, supporter, or anyone that connects with this ministry, that God would break every chain. Me included!

Sometimes the first thing that comes to mind when you wake up are problems. Here’s how to get your heart praising God in the morning instead.

Chains don’t only come in the form of addictions, you know. It’s also our thinking that gets tripped up, and we find ourselves in a mess. But God. (I’m already praising God for the work that He’s doing in us!)

So will you do something with me? When you wake up, you know how sometimes the first thing that comes to mind are the problems you’ve been going through? Instead of dreading the day, will you go through these verses? Reading them aloud makes me want to start praising my great God!

Will you obey God, and praise Him in the morning? Sense His presence filling your room, your home, your car—or wherever you are or wherever you go. Watch how He fights your battles for you.

So will you take me up on this challenge? Will you choose to start praising God in the morning? And every morning? Respond, “I will!” in the comments below!

If you liked this post on praising God in the morning, you will like my post on morning prayers to God. >> 5 Powerful Prayers for Your Morning Time with God


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33 Comments

  1. Anna Braybrooke says:

    I will

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      Glad to hear it, Anna!

      1. Patricia Ramsawh says:

        I can’t tell you how much finding this site has helped me today. I am just singing in my heart. I don’t know when last I felt so light-hearted, without worrying through out the day. I will have this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. ( Smile)

        1. kellyrbaker says:

          You’ve made my day, Patricia! So glad that the content is helpful. 🙂

      2. I was just praying in my bed, I poured my heart into a prayer., I felt God put in my spirit the word ADORATION. I looked on Google and found this website. I feel such a pull in my heart right now and so touched by this. This is what I have been looking for.

        I WILL ♥️

    2. I will

    3. I will

      1. I WILL PRAISE HIM 🙏

      2. Yes I will.. Thank you Kelly I felt God’s presence as I read through your articles..You are such a blessing…

    4. Sheryl Dmello says:

      Thank you for putting this together. I have been struggling last few weeks to pray ..and so I have been looking for articles on the website that would encourage me , when I came across your blog which has reminded to praise our awesome God daily … thank you so much Amen

  2. I will…..

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      Yay! Thanks, Eugenia!

  3. I will.
    Good article Kelly. I’m sorry but I had to laugh when you said, “why do we need to praise God? …I can’t tell you how many times the enemy has whispered this question. Like he’s trying to make me feel stupid.” I can relate. Even though it’s not funny, he will try anything to keep our focus off of God.
    But praising God changes us. Jesus told us that when we pray to say, Our Father, who is in heaven, “hallowed” be Your name. We give our praise and adoration to Him because He is worthy to be praised!
    Another thing you said, “feelings shouldn’t dictate the way I love God”, amen! Love that! I will definitely try and remember this advice.
    Have a blessed day,
    Sharon Russell

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      Sharon, thanks for sharing your thoughts. That’s another good verse that tells us to praise God. And yes, it is also because He is worthy to be praised. Amen! Enjoy the rest of your week!

    2. I will!

      I wake up each morning and pray first thing, but I have been longing to know how to kick start praising the Lord. I’m going to memorize these verses, starting this morning, and get my praises flowing!

  4. Stacey Pardoe says:

    I will too, Kelly! This is a wonderful and truth-filled post! I generally don’t wake up with a merry heart, so it’s really important for me to start praising right away. I love how practical these tips are!

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      I only wake up feeling happy if I’ve gotten enough sleep, and that’s not always the case. 😉 Practical is my jam. Happy praising, friend!

  5. Kelly, I love this post!! Praise and worship truly uplifts my soul and refreshes my heart–and our great God is worthy of all our praise! The story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 is my very favorite story from the bible on the power of praise as warfare against the enemy!

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      I love that story, too, and it’s stayed with me since I was little. God is powerful! I love worshipping God; it’s one of my favorite things to do. I hope you have a great time in His presence this week!

  6. Christine says:

    I will! Thanks for this beautiful post! I needed it! 🙏❤ God bless you!

  7. Oh I definitely will!!!

  8. I have been doing more of this lately this summer as the pace has been slower, and it is life changing. Taking the time out with God in the morning goes a LONG way!

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