It is amazing to see what happens when we praise God regardless of our circumstances. Listening to music or singing in our mind can change the most depressing moment into a time of joy. Praising the Lord in our car, at home, at work, in the grocery store and in our quiet times will change our attitude quicker than any other pursuit. Praising puts a smile on our face and a spring in our step! People are drawn to those who are full of the joy of the Lord.
The amazing paradox is that
living a life of praise will change everything for us. We can sing our way out
of depression and into the courts of our God (Psalm 100). As we look for God’s will in
our life, work, exercise, church encounters, volunteerism and hanging out with
our friends, He turns everything into a time of ministry for Him, as well as a
source of joy for us. We wait on the Lord and move only and always as His
Spirit directs us.
If you are home alone, and you
start to feel lonely, either get out of the house and work in the yard, or
serve a friend or family member, or spend time growing deeper in God. When you
feel lonely, put on your praise music and sing at the top of your lungs in
worship to God, dance around as you dust, bake a cake and take it to a
neighbor, go to the homeless shelter and help out any way you can, or go
grocery shopping for an elderly person. Just listen to God’s Spirit and He will
direct you.
God has a plan for our good now and in the future.
Rejoicing in the Lord one moment at a time keeps our negative thoughts under
God’s control (Philippians 4:8). However, we can praise Him even
for the negative aspects in our life, because He has a plan for us even in
them. Praising God will put Satan in his place and let God work in our behalf.
We will feel better, once we stop
allowing negative satanic fears, anxieties and desires to torture us. It is a
human characteristic to worry about the future, but God has everything in His
control (Jeremiah 29:11).
God cares for us even more than
for the sparrows and lillies, and He tells us not to be anxious about anything (Matthew 6:19-34). If
you praise God for what you have, even the bad things, knowing that God has a
plan in it for you, then He will give you everything you need to live
victoriously. As we seek the Lord first and fulfill His purpose for us in His
Kingdom, then we can rest assured that He will supply all of our needs
according to His glorious riches through Christ Jesus who lives within us (Philippians 4:19).
Prayer:
Father God, remind us that we
cannot control anything about life. Allowing feelings of unhappiness and
loneliness to disturb our peace and the joy in our soul is not trusting in You.
It is focusing on what we do not have instead of what we do have. If we spend
intimate times with You, Lord, through every waking moment, then we will not be
unhappy, because You are our ultimate hope, rest, joy and peace. We are only
unhappy and lonely when we think more about temporal things than we do about
spending our eternal glory with You.
Thought for the Day:
If God’s will does not include
what you want, then you do not want to have it, because you will be out of His
will. 