THE FAST - Day 17
Tuesday, January 23
Continual Praise
Psalm 43:1 (ESV)
“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Devoción
Can you say to the Lord, that you will always worship Him and His praise will continually be in your mouth? It’s easy to praise God when all is going well, but what about when the struggles of life hit you hard? Can you praise Him then? Will you?
Sometimes, in our culture, we think that in order to worship God, everything must come into alignment; we must be with our brothers and sisters in Christ, the praise team must sing the right songs, the lights should be dimmed, then when others start praising, we can join in too. Don’t misunderstand, corporate worship is a very powerful time that should be embraced, and we do need it, but if that’s the only time we are praising God, we are missing His mighty power in our lives.
Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that we will have problems, even tribulation, in this life. However, He goes on to say, “But take heart; for I have overcome the world.” Then, in Hebrews 13:5, we read that He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Knowing that He has already overcome the struggles, the pain, the slander, the imprisonment of body or mind, and all that the world can throw at us, and the fact that He promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us, is that not reason enough to praise Him through the struggles?
We can learn a valuable lesson from Paul and Silas as we read Acts 16. In verses 22-24, we read that after they were attacked, and beaten, and many blows were inflicted upon them, they were thrown into the inner prison, and their feet were fastened in stocks. Most of us would probably think that this is not an ideal time to worship. However, if we go on reading from verse 25, we learn that Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Wow! What faith, love, honor, and reverence they displayed for God.
Notice what God did in direct response to their praise. He sent an earthquake to shake the prison, unfastened their bonds, opened the prison doors, and then gave them the honor of ministering to the prison guard by leading him to Jesus.
Their response to their problems and God’s response to their praise make one wonder what we miss out on when we wallow in our bad circumstances. It is certainly worth contemplating. Let praise be your first response as you honor God, in and out of season.
Oración de hoy
Querido Padre Celestial,
I just want to come before You today in awe and wonder of who You are. I praise You for wanting a relationship with me and for loving me to the depths that You have shown over and over again. I praise You for being my Lord and King. I thank You for sending Your only Son to be my Savior. I can’t fathom the strong love that it took for You to willingly give Your child as a sacrifice for me. Thank You for being with my family in every area of our lives. I give You glory and praise for all Your provision and protection every day, the ones we notice and those that go unseen by us. I thank You, Father, that there is no limit to Your love. I praise You with my whole heart, and Your praise shall continually be in my mouth. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Aplíquelo hoy mismo
Make today all about your Heavenly Father. As you go about your day, offer up continual praise to Him, in the awe and wonder that He truly deserves.
Recursos:
- THE FAST - Day 17 Prayer Focus; Pray For Kindness. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
- Join our Free Chapel family in offering God praise and thanksgiving with the song, “Standing On Holy Ground."