Praise God

"Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!"

~Psalm 117 NLT

Praising God is easy when joy fills our hearts and we are overwhelmed with the feeling of being blessed. But what about when life is not so joyful or so blessed? Not too long ago, I was betrayed by someone who should've had my back and praising God was not a thought in my head or an expression in my heart. But, that's exactly what God wanted me to do. He wanted me to praise Him for the heartache. He wanted me to praise Him for the unjust situation. He wanted me to praise Him for the hurt. He wanted me to praise Him for the disappointment.

And so, I did.

It was not easy, but I surrendered to God's request because I thought, 'Why not?'

Why not praise God in our trials? Why not praise God in our sufferings? "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." (James 1:2) There's not much else we can do in those situations. We can't change what has happened. But God can.

He began to change my heart and how the betrayal affected me. When I began praising God for the situation and all the hurt I felt, I began to feel joy replacing pain. What release of freedom overcame me! God didn't change what happened to me, but He changed me. That in itself is worth praising God for! Only when we begin to praise God for everything, do we begin to really love God for everything.

I needed to really love God in the hurt of my situation. I needed to praise Him. Jesus understood my hurt. He, too, had been betrayed by someone who was suppose to be by His side. In fact, in the hour Jesus needed a friend the most, Peter denied him. Peter-the same man who hours before said he wouldn't desert Jesus even if everyone else did (Matthew 26:33)-left Him when He needed someone the most to stand by His perfectly innocent side.

Jesus still loved Peter. Jesus still loves us. Jesus still loves me even when my world is crashing down around me or even when I sin. His love isn't in the hurt. His love is in our hearts. And when we begin to praise God for everything, including our hurts, He reveals His love to us in ways He couldn't if everything in our life was perfect and wonderful.

Experience the indescribable joy of the Lord today. Praise Him not only for the good in your life, but also for the pain, the unjust situations, the heartaches, the people or things that are making your life difficult, the hardships, the failures, the laundry that needs to be done, the toilets that need to be cleaned, the work you've put off, the unanswered prayers, the mistakes, the challenges, the disappointments, the illnesses, the weaknesses, the decisions that didn't go your way, the imperfections. Praise God for His faithfulness! Praise God for His gracious, abundant, powerful and unfailing love! Praise God, all you nations! Praise God, all you people of the earth! Praise God! Amen!