The Challenge of Praise

Dear sister,

This past October, I took part in a blogging challenge that has taken place throughout the blogosphere for a few years now – the challenge to write a blog post every day of the month on a topic of your choice. The idea is to keep yourself motivated and write more frequently. It was great fun! But the topic God put on my heart to write about was not an easy one for me – Praise. I tend to be a reflective, melancholy gal and while feeling emotions deeply is not bad in and of itself, my emotions can tend toward discouragement rather than praise and joy if I am not careful.

Writing about Praise for the entire month was a challenge, but a very worthwhile one for me. I’m sure you’ve pushed yourself through something that did not come naturally and been surprised at the results – you probably felt a sense of accomplishment and joy over reaching a goal you didn’t know you could reach. Making the choice to praise God every day is just like that – we need to choose to do it, even when we don’t feel like it. I do understand that if you are deeply discouraged this won’t come easily…but when you take that step of faith to praise God for who He is, not who He might seem to be in the darkness, you will experience great joy – especially as you continue in this habit! Our emotions are sometimes fickle and change with the weather, but God never changes. What comfort to know that we can cling to God in praise, even when the storms rage within us and around us. I find it particularly convicting that David the Psalmist ends the majority of His Psalms with his eyes lifted up in praise to God – despite his often overwhelming circumstances. He was anchored in the character of God and chose to praise God no matter what he was experiencing.

Making the choice to praise God daily changed me permanently, though I have had to continue choosing this discipline, with God’s help. I realized that I did not have to wallow in my discouragement but could lift my eyes to Christ and His perfections! While we are deeply loved and accepted by God, we are frail, broken sinners and this can bring much discouragement at times. Looking to God in praise and thanks opens the floodgates of heaven – this posture is commanded! (Psalm 100:4) You will find that if you approach God in prayer this way, you will be reminded of His many glorious perfections, and laying down your requests in faith will often seem easier, having reflected on how magnificent HE is, rather than how great your problems might seem to be. No trial, however large, can compare to the wonder of His glory.

May I commend to you a book, dear sister? Please consider reading Becky Harling’s 30-Day Praise Challenge if you are struggling to praise God in this season. She so beautifully elaborates on this discipline and I found it to be very instructive and encouraging. I pray you find comfort as you praise our Great God and Savior. He is so worthy!

“ Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

With love ~ your sister,
Ruth