Praise for Deliveranceಮಾದರಿ

Rejoice Always

Praise is so important in our walk with the Lord. Science proves what Scripture has been showing us. Gratitude and anxiety cannot coexist. You can have moments of anxiety, but research has proven that thankfulness and praise reduce symptoms of anxiety. When we are thankful and praise the Lord in all circumstances, it changes our perspective.

Philippians 4:4-6, ESV, says, “Rejoice in the LORD always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The LORD is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Paul wrote these words in the book of Philippians from a Roman prison. If he can say this while chained—under constant guard—then I can say these words and mean them daily.

I struggle with praising the Lord in the mundane. This past winter we had a lot of snow in my hometown. This meant many canceled school days for my children, and we had a lot of sickness in our household. My schedule did not go as planned, and we were confined to the house more often than I would have liked. I teetered between praise and frustration—not always doing what I should.

I imagine Paul had to wrestle with his flesh too. Romans 7:16, ESV, gives me encouragement as he says, “I do what I do not want to do.” Read that chapter if you want to be encouraged, even when you fail and fall short. I resonate with this so much, knowing there is nothing good in my flesh. I know I have so much to be grateful for. I am thankful for heat and running water. I am thankful for groceries and the ability to cook dinner for my family. But it can be so easy to become distracted from the good things and allow my flesh to rear up in frustration when my house is messy or my plans are abruptly changed. I have to constantly readjust my attitude and realign it with Christ.

Praise is the perfect solution when feeling overwhelmed or ungrateful. While praising doesn’t change our circumstances, it does change our outlook and attitude.