When life is good, it's easy to praise God. Things are going our way. Hard times are hardly seen. Life is in order. So we praise God easily.
What about in the hard times? What about when things are not going our way? Life is hard and chaotic. Life feels like it is spiraling out of control. In the difficult times it is easier to turn inward and focus on our problems than it is to give praise.
Can any of you add one moment
to his life span by worrying?
Luke 12:25
It is in the low moments, these hard to breathe moments, that we need to praise God the most. We need to turn our focus away from our problem and onto the face of the Problem Solver.
The Lord is my strength and my defense;
He has become my salvation. He is my
God, and I will praise Him, my
father's God, and I will exalt Him.
Exodus 15:2
Our family has faced some difficult moments lately and every time I start to get down I feel God saying, "Jenifer, start praising Me." The words of a worship song begin to flood my mind. Yes. I will praise Him even in the hard times. I begin to tell God how good He is, I give Him praise for His many sweet blessings in my life, I thank Him for who He is, and soon, I feel His beautiful presence all around me. The problem may still be there, but it reminds me that He is close and He will not leave. That He has a plan and His plan will not harm me.
Listen to the song below and no matter how low the valley is, praise God.
Yes I will, lift You high in the lowest valley
Yes I will, bless Your name
Oh, yes I will, sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days, yes I will
It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.
Praying for you this morning, Jenifer. May you keep your eyes on Him and His praise on your lips. Times may not be easy but our God is faithful in all things. Thank you for encouraging me this morning!
ReplyDeleteMy post today: http://www.joanneviola.com/2019/08/vacations-families-sacred-time/
What a great song! This is what we need. All my days I also want to lift him high in the lowest valley. Thanks for sharing this, Jenifer.
ReplyDeleteI updated a piece this week from my archives about a young man I first met a few years ago. I saw him again last week.
https://www.lisanotes.com/look-closer-the-practice-of-encounters/
I've been studying peace. Very appropriate :) I hope you can stop by:
ReplyDeletehttps://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2019/08/fall-into-reading-challenge-2019-sign.html
Colletta
One preacher I used to know had as his motto, "Praise God anyway"--his way of saying there's always something to praise God for, even if the circumstances don't seem ideal. Something I need to remind myself of, as I get too caught up in the momentary problems.
ReplyDeleteI wrote this week about getting frustrated over interruptions, yet realizing how often they occurred in Jesus' and others' lives in the Bible--sometimes at the hand of God Himself: When Interruptions ARE the Ministry: https://barbarah.wordpress.com/2019/08/19/when-interruptions-are-the-ministry/.
Jennifer, this is so close to my heart. I recently went through a hard time and I came across a saying that got me through. "God does not allow pain without purpose." I held close to this, knowing that he was in control and my pain was part of his plan. I learned to praise him despite my circumstances. I updated an older post this week. I would love for you to check it out. It is about why we should wear our wedding rings http://keepingthetiethatbinds.com/2018/08/28/more-than-just-a-ring/
ReplyDelete