Praise God!

By Charity Pence

This Week’s Verse: John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (NIV)

Ever wanted to throw your hands in the air and give up? If you are like me, the answer is yes. We all have those moments in our lives, moments when we are knocked down before we have had a chance to get back up again. It is times like that when it is easy to lose sight of the Truth. Psalm 35:18 tells us that the Lord delivers us from all of our afflictions. Though the trials we go through may at times be too much for us, they are never too much for God. Psalm 18:6 promises God hears us when we cry out to Him in distress. How often do you cry out to Him? Do you trust Him to hear you? I have learned firsthand that God does hear me. My prayers are not always answered the way I expect. Sometimes the answer to my prayers is the opposite of what I asked for. God has taught me, though, that if I trust Him entirely, He will provide. This lesson was not something I learned quickly. It has taken me many years and many trials to realize that God has my best interests at heart and will make provisions accordingly. And through everything, I have learned another important lesson.

Lifting our hands in praise is difficult to do when everything around us is falling apart. And yet, the Bible tells us we are to praise God always. We are not meant to praise God only when things are good. So when I find myself lying flat on the ground from yet another hit, I praise God. I praise Him because He has always given me the strength to get back up. I praise Him because I know He is with me. I praise Him because no matter how hard this life can be, it will not always be this way.

We sang a song in church recently. “When I call Your name, Lord You reply, You bring Your kingdom and stand by my side.” As I sang these words, I pictured myself standing, surrounded by God and His army. It was an awesome reminder that as long as I trust God, He will fight my battles for me.

Dear Heavenly Father, life is so hard sometimes and it would be easy to give up, to stop trusting in You. Thank You for the lessons You have taught me. Continue to be with us all, Lord, please. Give us the strength to lift our hands in praise when we are too weak to even stand. You indeed are Lord and I will put my trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Applications: Do not let yourself be overwhelmed by the trials you must face. God will not leave our side; He has already won our battle.

Power Verses:

I Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always.” (NIV)

Psalm 50:15, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” (KJV)

I Peter 3:13, “And who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good?” (KJV)