Worship More and Worry Less: 30 Days of PraiseSample

Some mornings when I climb out of bed, I ask myself, “Do I want to go to the gym?” A battle ensues in my brain, and I hear my answer, “Naaaa . . . . not today.”

I don’t think I’m the only one who should not ask herself if she wants to go to the gym. I think it’s a human condition. Sometimes we must tell ourselves to do the things we need to do. The psalmists did this. They spoke to their souls, encouraging themselves to worship God even when they didn’t feel like it.

In Psalm 42, the psalmist is desperate for God. His enemies taunt him: “My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:3). But neither his enemies nor his situation gets the last word. Though struggling and wondering when God will show up, he begins to remember worshiping God with other worshipers. He strolls down memory lane, remembering the good days with God, and he commands his soul to hope in Him. He praises the Lord and worships Him even when His soul is downcast. He doesn’t feel like worshiping, but he does.

If you’re struggling today, finding it hard to worship, give your soul a pep talk. Remember the good days and make a decision to hope in God’s goodness and faithfulness, speaking directly to your downcast soul.

Journal

Copy Psalm 42:11 in your journal. Write down a memory of worshiping with others and the way your heart felt during that time. And then write a prayer of praise. Promise your intentional faith in God’s goodness even when life is messy, and He seems so far away.