Praise God in Every Season
Praise Him! This is an encouragement & reminder to praise the Lord in EVERY season.
It is often easier to praise Him when everything is going well rather than to praise Him in difficult times.
Some sweet friends and I recently studied the book of James. I’m so glad we picked James because it has been such a blessing to me, especially during this season in my life.
The first theme established in James is the proper Christian attitude to persevere when experiencing trials. Here’s what we know; trials and tribulations are guaranteed in life and those trials are allowed by God for our good and His glory. These trials reveal God’s sovereignty and offer us the privilege of trusting in Christ and suffering for Him (Philippians 1:27-30).
“Consider or count” means to make up your mind concerning something. As Christians, we have a choice in how we view our circumstances. The choice we are called to make is to count those trials as joy.
Important to know, facing trials with fear, anger, or sorrow is part of being human with God-given emotions. However, joy is found in knowing those feelings and the circumstances are not ultimate, and they certainly do not change the character of God. We can choose joy because of who Christ is and what He says.
How do we choose to be joyful during difficult times? We focus less on us and turn our eyes to Jesus continuing to praise God Almighty.
“God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.” We often say these words, but how much do we actually believe them? The peace, comfort, and privilege of knowing God are undoubtedly good!
When you are in the midst of a storm, can you confidently say God is good all the time? Although we may not know what God’s “good” exactly means, we know He is worthy of our praise, devotion, and lives.
We can “measure” our spiritual maturity by our response to storms and trials in life. Are our eyes gazed on the savior Jesus Christ? Can we profess and believe in God’s provision? “I praise you for who you are, no matter my circumstance.”
“Praise is a response to God’s gracious invitation to lift our eyes to Jesus our Savior despite our feelings or circumstances.” Christine D.
Praise refocuses our eyes and heart on Him and turns us away from focusing too much on ourselves or problems. Do not let your flesh drive your response towards trials but rather allow the Spirit of God to do so.
When we praise God, we focus on who God is: holy, loving, faithful, righteous, and forgiving. Praise is not about how we feel. Instead, praise is about God’s character and the fact that He is worthy of all praises.
God’s character will never change (Hebrews 13:8). His character does not change with the circumstances of our lives. May our praises to Him never cease regardless of the season or trial.
