Praise Our Lord

According to the Bible, the definition of praise is giving thanks and honor to one who is worthy of praise.  Throughout the Bible, we are told to praise or exalt the name of the Lord.  We are to bless God at all times...not just when things are going smoothly.  In I Thessalonians 5:16-18, Jesus tells us to have an attitude of joy and thanksgiving no matter what our circumstances.

But sometimes, when we're going through a crisis, as we are now...it's hard to want to praise God.   This is called a "sacrifice of praise".  (Hebrews 13:15)  If we wait until we "feel like" praising God, we may never do it.  This doesn't mean that we have to thank God for the bad things, but we are meant to be joyful no matter what's going on because we have the Lord on our side, and we can overcome whatever the devil is trying to send our way.  James 4:7 tells us "...to resist the devil and he will flee from us".  And what better way to "resist the devil" than to praise our Lord.

Sooner or later, a moment will come that turns our world upside down; no one is exempt. And while God doesn't send us this crisis, He may allow it to bring about change in our lives.  That change can either be positive or negative - that's entirely up to us and how we choose to react to it.  You can choose to use this change to grow closer to Jesus, or you can become angry with God and blame Him for it.  A crisis has a way of helping us to focus and see what really matters in our lives.

Strength grows in the moments when you think you can't go on but you keep going anyway.  And faith is keeping your eyes on God when the world around you is falling apart.  We are not in control, but remember...we are deeply loved by the One who is!

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you."
Isaiah 43:2