Praising God Even when You Don’t Feel Like it // Psalms 34:1

Yesterday we explored how the heavy times in life are like weightlifting for the soul. I paralleled how the exercise, and recovery work both for our physical and spiritual bodies. There is another component that deserves a mention as well, and that is praise. There is no doubt it is easy to praise God when times are easy. God wants us to learn to praise Him even when times are hard. Why? Because it is an acknowledgment of faith that God is good even when circumstances are not. How? By focusing on the the reality that even good can come from the awful things we endure. One example is when we go through times of intense grief. Believe it or not, grief is a gift to us, since it serves as a bridge from an old normal to a new normal. That isn’t to say that losses are good, but a good grief process can be. Praising God in times such as those remind us that the earth is not our home; Jesus defeated the sting of death in the Resurrection; and God is with us when our lives are shattered. Praising God at all times, even when we might not feel like it, is so important because it helps us keep eternity in view. So for what do you need to praise God today? What metaphorical storms do you need to be reminded that God can rise above or help you walk through? How will you take the awful events in life and let them help you find the bridge into eternity, beginning in the here-and-now?