What shall I do in difficult times? Same thing you should do in good times… praise God! Our loving Creator is worthy of praise in good times and in bad. Too often, we come to Him for help in bad times, and then ignore Him in good times. Let us instead praise Him at all times!
The LORD, a Provider and Deliverer.
A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.
1I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
8O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
11Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
13Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
21Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
How beautiful an ending, “None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”
To “take refuge in” indicates true faith that His saving power is real and will redeem us as He says… else, why would we seek refuge in Him. It is much more than simply saying His name and believing He is God. Even Satan believes Jesus is God. We seek refuge in Him from all those that would harm us. We trust Him. We rely on Him. We recognize we can not stand without Him against the enemy. He will always keep His promises. What good reason would we as His followers have to hold back praise?
Take a step of faith to show love to God… praise Him even when you don’t feel like it. Praise Him even when things are going badly for you. If you can not find your own words as you struggle through difficult times, turn to Psalms and use the words of David. Praise God, even if it is simply an act of will at first. Then continue until it becomes almost habit. Before you know it you will find joy from within even in hard times.
Praise Him also when things go well. Thank Him. Remember Him at all times that we do not grow too high an opinion of ourselves when things are going our way. Make a habit of praising God in all situations.
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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.