Praising God Through the Ordinary Work of Your Hands

Psalms 35:28 declares, "My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." But how does a laboring person accomplish this? Augustine offers a remedy that transforms daily life into continuous worship.

Your tongue praises God when you sing hymns with a sincere heart—but the heart must join the voice, or the words ring hollow. Yet praise need not cease when you depart from the sanctuary. When you refresh yourself, abstain from drunkenness, and you have praised Elohim. When you rise from sleep, refuse to do evil, and you have praised Him. When you conduct business, commit no wrong, and you have praised Him. When you till your field, raise no strife among your laborers, and you have praised Him.

The secret lies in akataskeuatos—the innocency of your works. Whatever your hands undertake, perform it with integrity and righteousness. A merchant dealing honestly in the marketplace praises God as truly as a psalmist in the temple. A farmer who refuses to cheat his neighbor lifts up praise before Heaven. A servant who executes their master's work faithfully offers a fragrant offering to Adonai.

Praise is not confined to spoken words or sung melodies. Your obedience in small things, your refusal of dishonesty when no one watches, your humble faithfulness in ordinary tasks—these constitute the language of genuine devotion that honors God all the day long.