Category: Devotions

Praise in the Midst

 

"<<A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.>> I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."  Psalm 34:1 KJV

I know I haven't written in while…and truthfully I've been too distracted to write.  I have been hopping on and off the merry-go-round and sometimes the stops haven't been so pleasant.  I can say thank God that my most recent stop was awesome (I turned 26 last Tuesday yay).  It was much better than last year, but I think I was too heartbroken from losing my daddy to enjoy it.  Life and everything in it serve as distraction enough, and when troubles arise, it is easy to forget God or the things He desires of us.  I was reading to catch up on some devotions…because I get like 5-7 everyday and sometimes I just ignore them.  Well its been many days now and I just can't stand looking at the pile of emails any longer…OCD I guess lol.  So the one I just finished was on praise.  And I thought, how can you praise God in the midst of your suffering?  Because I have and I am sure you have too, experienced difficult things in life, where you could not even bring yourself to think of praising God.  I've asked God, "Why did you allow this" or "How can this work out to my good" or "What did I do to deserve that" only to hear nothing.  After some point, someone I trust and confide in will often awaken me from my pity party and remind me of who God is and what He can do.  So I asked myself how can you praise God in the midst?  How can a person like me, who has heard everything  from "People have it worse than you" or "You are so blessed", keep praising God when life knocks you down?

 

And my answer is now that I have to stay in the Word.  God gives us promise after promise that things will work out for our good.  Romans 8:28, which is one of my favorites, was a scripture I recited over and over to myself to encourage myself.  I recently found a few others that help to make the devil flee.  Isaiah 61:7 states, "Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs." NASB  There has been many a day that I have felt shame, either self-inflicted or out of my control, and knowing that God will in essence, give me double for my trouble is comforting.  Luke 1:45 says "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (NLT)  So by simply believing in Romans 8:28, Isaiah 61:7, and countless other scriptures, I can praise God, even when I don't feel like it.  Even when my mind is running and my heart is heavy, when you experience losses and death, you can still praise God because of the promises in His word.  As I write this right now, I don't feel like praising God because I have my own ambushes to deal with right now.  But some how these things are going to work in my favor because even if they are from the enemy, trusting in God's abilities instead of my own will prove advantageous for me always.

 

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
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Your First Love

 

"I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me."  Proverbs 8:17 NASB

 

For sometime now, the lyrics of "Go Back" by Israel and New Breed have been on my mind.  A while back, I finally downloaded the song.  Only now in light of some major changes in my life, do I realize why I needed to listen to this song.

 

It was revealed to me that I have always in some way, since I was at least 14 years old, in some type of relationship with a guy.  I either had a boyfriend, a friend or two, or just some guy that liked me, that I would talk to.  Of course, I would develop an attachment to those people.  Instead of seeking after God, I would be more concerned about that person and where our involvement would go.  I got saved and baptized when I was 9 years old.  Don't get me wrong, I was excited about being 'born again' and 'getting saved' and just learning more about God.  But I didn't understand the brevity of the commitment I had taken.  I didn't realize that God, who is love, wanted to love me more than anyone in the world.  More than my momma and daddy ever could.  You could say I had a misconception of God and Jesus for a long time.  But as I learned this about myself, I realized I had never taken the time to love God and let Him love me back.  I had never been in a relationship with God.  Initially, having a boyfriend was just something to do, so I often didn't keep one too long.  But once I had my first few 'serious' relationships, I got into the habit of succumbing to the other person and losing myself by not nurturing my relationship with God.  The truth is I did not know myself, because living a life without a true relationship with God will never allow you to know yourself. 

 

As I experienced situation after situation, sometimes in a relationship, other times not, but still 'talking' to someone, I would question and ask God why, as I built the wall around my heart and against Him.  Why had this person hurt me, when they said they loved me?  Why did I get sick in college, have my kidneys fail right after my 23rd birthday, have a transplant, lose my cousin, and most of all my earthly father–if God loved me, why did He allow it to happen?  Well, as I listened to this song a few nights (literally, I'll play one of my playlists the entire night) I realized it was to draw me closer to Him. It is His turn, He says, to be in a relationship with me. 

 

Many of us, both men and women alike, try to fill the voids with people–family, friends, and romantic relationships.  We then put God on the back right or left burners to simmer and we check in with Him from time to time.  Meanwhile, all the hurts, hang-ups and pains in our lives continue to grow in the back corner like ignored dust bunnies.  And all along, God is back there, reminding us who He is to us and that He wants to save us, heal us, deliver us and make us whole.

 

I know it is often easier said than done to 'be' in a relationship with God.  But like I said, I was saved at 9.  So for me, He really is my first love.  He stirred something within me then that has always sustained the need to return to Him.  I encourage you to evaluate your relationships, and make sure God is your first love–not money, not a person, or some other inanimate thing…because all those things fade and when it comes time for God to call your name it would be sad if He said He doesn't know you.

 

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"  Romans 8:35 NASB