December 23, 2024

A Radical Reaction

SeekingHimLogo

May they erupt with praise and give thanks to the Eternal Lord
in honor of His loyal love
And all the wonders He has performed for humankind!
He has quenched their thirst,
and He has satisfied their hunger with what is good.
Psalms 107:8-9 The Voice

“If we complained less and praised more,
we would be happier
and God would be more glorified.”
Charles Spurgeon

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Do we erupt with praise? When we escape from difficult situations, trials, and troubles it is easy to praise God for His grace and mercy and proclaim His goodness. We are aware of His deliverance. Yet as time goes on, and the memory fades, do we continue to praise God for the common, everyday mercies? Do we even recognize them? Are we aware of His hand upon us?

Hebrews 13:15 (AMP) says:
…therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

We should constantly and continually be offering up praise. Why?

Ephesians 1:6 (The Voice)
Ultimately God is the one worthy of praise for showing us His grace;
He is merciful and marvelous, freely giving us these gifts in His Beloved.

Psalm 103:2  (Amplified)
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not [one of] all His benefits.

What would happen if we praised God when irritations arose—when we are exasperated, and down to our “very last nerve”—instead of complaining and bemoaning our fate? Oh, I am not saying there isn’t a valid reason for complaint. But imagine the difference if we brushed that irritation away using praise as our flyswatter, lifting our hearts up in praise of Him. Praise that He is in control, that He loves us. Praise that He has provided everything we need. Praise calms us. Praise quiets us. Praise feeds our soul. Not only would irritation and exasperation vanish, but our souls…our spirits would be filled. We would be refreshed. Like a tall glass of ice water physically refreshes us, praise spiritually refreshes us as we are reminded of His mercy and grace.

Remembrance

SeekingHimLogoSome days I am disappointed with the present state of my life.  Left unchecked this emotion runs rampant through my mind and affects my interactions with others.  Negative is the word I would use to describe the veil that clouds my mind when I am disappointed.

When I am disappointed I always have two choices: to continue on the downward spiral or get refocused.  It’s important that I don’t dismiss this emotion, thinking it’ll just go away, because disappointment leads to discouragement and discouragement stops me dead in my tracks.

Let all that I am praise the Lord,
may I never forget the good things He does for me.
Psalm 103:2

What better way to refocus than with remembrance?!

The Lord has brought me through so many ill circumstances, working them in my favor and came to my defense more times than I can count.  The Lord has given me plenty to remember.  Plenty to hold on to.  I simply have to choose to remember…to praise His goodness.  Once I do this, I can easily remember that God has a plan for me!  He’s always had a plan.  What I see may be a mess, but given to God he can turn it into something magnificent.  And I pray I never forget this.

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Father, thank You for reminding me that any disappointment I face in this life—whether it be a specific event, an area of my life, or just life as a whole—that Your grace and goodness can drown out this emotion.  Thank You that if I will allow You, You can make sense of and redeem my circumstances.  You are the mighty Redeemer.  Help me to remember all of Your goodness when I am tempted to grab hold of disappointment and self-pity.  In Jesus’ name.

Amen.