Praising Through Hard Times

Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

In my mentoring group this month, I have been focused on praise. The reason I decided to focus on praise this month is because praise is so important. It is especially important to praise God in the Hard times. I recall a time when I was going through a particularly challenging period raising my boys and in my marriage, and I found solace in praising God. It was a powerful reminder that my problems were not insurmountable and that God was with me. It is important to praise God when we don’t feel we have any reason to praise God. One of the most important reasons why it is important to praise God when we are in a difficult situation is because it puts the focus back on God instead of on our problem.

One piece of advice that I love is when someone says, “Instead of focusing on how big our problem is, we should focus on how big our God is.” I have never forgotten this, and it is so true. God is bigger than any problem we might be facing. There isn’t anything too big or too hard for Him. When we praise the Lord, we bring our focus back to Him.

Also, When we praise God, we are reminded of all the things He has done for us in the past. It reminds us that if He did it for us in the past, He would do it for us again. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) If we are in a difficult situation, we can look back to other times when we were struggling, and we can see how God helped us out of or through that situation. Sometimes God helps us out of a situation we are in. Sometimes He helps us through the situation. What I mean by that is that he doesn’t remove us from the situation but gives us all we need to get through it. He gives us the strength, perseverance, and peace to get through each day.

While studying about praise from my mentoring group I read an article that mentioned something I hadn’t really thought of before. It said that praise reminds us that God is in control. When I was reading this article I read a line that made me laugh. The article said, "As I praise God during the difficult times, I am reminded that God is still in control. God is never surprised by the things that come into my life. God never says, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming, I hope Billy makes it through this.” This made me laugh because it is so true and yet it is something we don’t really think about. We can praise God in the difficult times because He knew we would be in this season of waiting. And because He knew we would be in it that means that He has a plan to get us either out of this season or through this season.

It is funny to me that we would think we could ever catch the Lord off guard. It’s funny to think something could happen that He wouldn’t know about. Jesus says in Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” God knows everything about you, He knows about your situation, and He knows what you are waiting for.

Praising the Lord during a hard season is telling the Lord that we trust Him and we know that He has a plan for us. Our job is just to wait and to keep trusting that God is in control. It is hard for us to let God be in control. We want things done our way and in our time. I saw a video on Facebook the other day of a woman who was showing what it is like when we try to let God be in control. She was all excited and told Jesus to take the wheel. However, she wasn’t happy when He didn’t take the exit she wanted Him to take. She wasn’t happy when he wasn’t driving as fast as she wanted Him to drive. She wanted to stop and pull over for a snack, but Jesus wanted to keep driving. Then she finally said, “I just thought that when I said Jesus take the wheel, we would take turns. You know, you would drive a little, I would drive a little. I thought this would be a little more collaborative.”

It is hard to let Jesus take the wheel. It is hard to let God be in control, but it is always worth it. Have you ever tried to take the wheel, tried to run things your own way, and then had it not turn out so good? Abraham and Sarah tried to take things into their own hands, and Sarah had Abraham sleep with her handmaid so they could have a baby. It worked and then Sarah got jealous of her handmaid and sent her away. God told them He would give them a baby, but Sarah got tired of waiting.  We get into trouble when we get tired in the waiting and we take things into our own hands.

This is why praising can be so beneficial. While we are waiting, we praise God for all he has done in the past, all that He has planned for our future, and all that He is in control of so that we don’t have to be. When we praise God, we keep ourselves busy, focused on God, and remind ourselves that God is in control.

The article I read had some practical suggestions for praising God in difficult times. Here they are:

It may not seem natural, and you may feel uncomfortable, but go ahead and praise God. Don’t fake it, be honest. God already knows your heart, so if you don’t feel like praising Him, tell Him, but praise Him anyway.

Verbalize your praise. Praise is meant to be heard. Don’t praise Him silently. Praise Him openly and verbally. There is something powerful about hearing our own voice praise and worship the Lord.

Use fear and worry as indicators of when to praise the Lord. When fear and worry raise their ugly heads, use them as reminders to praise the Lord. Counter fear and worry, praise and worship.

Allow God to teach you as you walk through the situation. God never wastes any event in our life, He wants to grow us to be more like Christ through every situation we face. As you praise Him, ask what you can learn from this experience.

Review God’s work in your life in the past and praise him for it. Part of praise is reviewing God’s faithfulness in the past. As you review His goodness and provision in the past, you will find new strength to face the problems of today.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode. Lord, help us praise you. If we are uncomfortable praising you out loud, give us the courage to step outside our comfort zone and do it anyway. Lord, remind us that when we start to be filled with fear and worry, we can use that as an indicator to begin to praise. Teach us how to praise you, Lord. Each one of us can praise you in a different way; put that on our hearts, Lord. Help us to praise you when times are hard, when times are good, all the time. Help us to develop a habit of praise so we are praising you regularly whether we feel like it or not. Lord, we love you. We are so grateful for all you have done for us, and praising you is one small way we can show our appreciation. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider rating it in whatever app you're listening to and leaving a review. The more ratings a podcast has, the more people will see it. Also, please consider sharing it with a friend or two. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in December 2023 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group or about these words, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is “I come to be with you. Make room for me. Do not hold tightly to your wishes and desires and wants and things that keep you from me. Let them go and allow me to be held close to your heart, for I love you and will remake you in my own image.”

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

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