19

Day 19 of Your Journey
Praise: Fitting for All Our Circumstances

Praise is a powerful force. I’m not referring merely to the singing of songs or to an emotional experience. I’m referring to the heart that overflows into expressing its joy and confidence in God.

True praise originates in the believer’s heart, not on his lips. This kind of praise gets God’s attention. When we praise from our hearts, the Bible tells us that God is present, inhabiting the very praises we express.

Praise can also free us from the prison cell of despair. Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV) tells us that we can exchange a “spirit of heaviness” for the “garment of praise.”

Do you ever feel heavy, sometimes with no reason? Praise is a guard against the despair that can overtake our hearts. The key is praising God regardless of the circumstances.

David did this in Psalm 13. Despite the hopelessness he felt in his circumstances, he chose to praise God for His love, deliverance, and goodness. All these he rejoiced in with no outward sign of God’s relief in sight. By the end of the psalm, we find David joyfully singing the praises of God—again with no deliverance evident around him.

Praising God only in good times, and then complaining in hard times, shows that we know very little of God’s sovereignty.


Making It Personal

What are the hardest issues in your life right now? Have you taken time to praise God in the midst of them? You can praise Him as David did, because:

God has a loving purpose,
He will deliver us in His timing, and
He has always been good to us.