Psalms for Real LifeNäide

PRAISE: WHEN JOY ISN'T COMING NATURALLY

When life isn’t going our way, our emotions tend to obediently follow with negativity, depression, and joylessness. That is the natural way of things. However, we are in relationship with a supernatural God who expects us to respond to life with a voice of faith that chooses to praise Him. Is this easy? No way! But it IS how the kingdom of God works.

In Psalm 42:5, the Psalmist provides us with a fantastic example. He speaks to himself! He has a conversation with his own soul. He asks his soul why it’s so depressed and disturbed. He gives himself a little pep talk and commands himself to decide to place his hope in God and give a shout of praise. Instead of looking at his problem, he chooses to look at the One who has the solution.

We don’t always know the source of our problems, but scripture is clear that we do have a real enemy – Satan. He would love for us to remain in a defeated, depressed state. But Psalm 8:2 instructs us that praise is strength, and when we praise God, we are protected and our enemy is silenced.

Ask Yourself

How do I react when life gets hard?

Pause to Pray

Lord, the hard thing that’s going on in my life right now is [fill in the blank]. I do not feel like praising You, but since Your word says I should, I will. I choose to praise You. I will praise You at all times. Your praise will always be on my lips. I offer up to You, right now, the sacrifice of praise.

Take a Next Step

As a next step, begin to lift your hands in the air as you praise God. To push a little bit further into the sacrifice of praise, raise your voice louder and begin to dance as though you were joyful.

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