I will praise him!

Do you praise God through the good times and the bad?

By bad times, I mean, the times when things do not seem to be going your way. (Of course, in God's eyes they could be the good times, but we just can't see that.)

So, do you praise Him in these times, when you are struggling to pay your bills, when you have lost someone dear, when you feel like a failure and everyone else is celebrating success? Do you praise Him then?

I often think of the words of Job:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Job 1:21

It feels trite to say that we must praise God at all times, but we know in our hearts that it is true. It is true because God tells us to do so in His word and God is truth:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice."

Philippians 4:4

But why does God exhort us to praise Him, even in troubled times?

Firstly, because He is worthy of our praise at all times and in all places. If we lift our eyes to behold His glory we will be reminded of His sovereignty, His grace, His mercy, His love and we will find comfort and reassurance, but whether we feel comforted or not, God is always worthy of our praise. We do not praise Him because our life is going well, we praise Him because He is worthy.

Secondly, in praising our God through the good and bad times, we are revealing who is first in our hearts. If I don't praise God when things are difficult, I am saying that something other than Him is more valuable to me and maybe God is using this time to prune me and to show me the idols of my heart. When I lift my heart to praise God, even with tears in my eyes or a heavy heart, I am telling Him that He is more valuable to me than anything or anyone:

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:24

The Lord is everything to me, he is my great prize and reward. He is all I need.

Thirdly, when we offer our praise to Him we bring ourselves within the will of God. If God is disciplining us, like the good Father that He is, then praising Him is the way that we bring ourselves into His will. To turn away in anger or frustration is to say that I know a better way, when I do not. But this does not not mean that I should delude myself into believing that I never feel angry with God, or frustrated; after all, God knows what I am feeling and nothing is hidden from Him. It simply means that I incline my heart towards the Lord, acknowledging how I am feeling, repenting of my sin and praying that His will be done, whatever the consequences for me.

Finally, to offer our praise to God even when life seems dark and difficult, is to put our trust in Him, and who do you want to put your trust in when everything seems to be going wrong: yourself or the creator, redeemer and sustainer of the universe?

I will praise Him!