I had finally done it! I had accomplished that almost impossible goal. I couldn’t keep it to myself. I had to tell someone, anyone. Right after I told God.
Oh, I know, He already knew. In fact, He’d authored it. But I had to share it with Him anyway.
“Thank You Lord for this! I know I never could have done it without You.”
I recalled a few years earlier. A time of crisis. When I had major decisions and it was truly just me and God. As I cried myself to sleep almost every night, I still believed God had me. I knew He was getting me through. And even though I didn’t understand, couldn’t comprehend why in the world He was leading me through that, He was leading me, not letting me wallow there all alone. It took time, but after I looked back, I saw there were reasons to praise Him during that particular storm.
I trusted Him then, and I trusted Him now. And both times, I knew inside me that I had to thank Him for what He was doing.
Some of my favorite Psalms, which ring in my heart as songs set to literal music, exhort offering thanksgiving to praise God.
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4 NIV
“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make my faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.” (Psalm 89:1-2 NIV)
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps with joy, and with my song I will praise him. (Psalm 28:7 NIV)
God created us to experience emotion. He also created us to express that emotion. He desires we communicate our emotions to Him. The Good. The Bad. And even, the Ugly. And when we’re happy? He loves to hear about it! He loves to see His children wild with wonder at what He has done. He loves to hear us praise what He’s doing- whether we understand it or not.
Do you, like me, sometimes wonder how on earth can I praise Him in this storm?
Even in the bad circumstances of this moment we can praise He who will guide us through it. The One who promises to redeem it. It may not feel all warm and fuzzy. It may feel downright dirty and desperate and despicable.
But praise God, He is God. He knows how to deal with even this. And He never reneges on His promises.
So I have learned I can praise Him, I can learn to be thankful in all circumstances because I know He is with me and is holding me and has even this.
Maybe you, too, have struggled to find a word of praise. Or, forget to even think of praise at times like that. Or fight to find that knee-jerk reaction to good news as praise to God, who authors everything. That’s okay. We’re all learning!
Let’s encourage one another in prayer:
Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank You for always being here beside me. For authoring all that happens, including the sweet endings and the ‘how-to’ through hard times. Thank You that You redeem everything, and even author moments of celebration into our lives. Lord, let us learn how to praise You in everything. In Jesus’ name, Amen.