Lately, I have been in an intense time of questioning what God is doing in my life and in the lives of my family. I have been here sooooo many times before I am just tired of it. And so, I found myself getting very bitter. I found myself telling God exactly how I felt about things. Thankfully, He is a good Father and lets his tantrum throwing daughter get it out of her system.
It hit me though that all I’ve been doing is whining and complaining. In praying for the situation I neglected praise. This morning I tackled that. But first I had to figure out if I even had anything to praise. This is an incredibly tense and difficult situation and there is very little good to be seen in it. And that was my problem. I kept trying to see the good in the situation, but right now God is not letting me see it. That’s not what I needed to be praising anyway.
Praise is not just thanking God for the good things He’s given you or is giving you. It’s not just about thanking Him when He answers your prayers with a “yes”. It’s about praising Him. Not what He does or doesn’t do for you.
That was quite the profound thought for me in this trial. I needed to stop so much with the whining and focus for a minute on who I was whining to. I’m whining to the God of the Universe who spoke all things into being. This is the God who gave up His only son to make sure I could spend all eternity in Heaven when this short crappy life is over. I win! I had to remember that this is just practice for later and it is nowhere near what things will be like later. God has gifted myself and my husband with good jobs that we (mostly) enjoy. We have many friends and family. We have a fantastic church home.
When we are in the midst of trials and struggles these things seem to slip from our minds and in truth can sometimes even lose their importance in our eyes. It’s at these times that praise really is a sacrifce. But it is a sacrifice well worth the price.
