Anxious? Confused? Fearful?

All of what’s happening in the world can tend to take the wind out of our sails and even plant seeds of doubt and depression. We see the corruption, the evil and the collected power that is being used to destroy people’s lives and nothing is done about it. Of course, God’s response is found in Psalm 37:1-5 among many other places in Scripture.

Add to that the fact that we are very likely in the eye of the storm where gas prices are currently “coming down,” and things are seemingly returning to some sense of normalcy, but it will likely not last at all. In fact, chances are great that things will get very bad within a few months and into 2023. All of this can be very discouraging, so what do we do?

We praise God for His love, His perfection, His concern for us, His promise never to abandon, leave or forsake us and a promise to meet our needs. If we focus on the situations, we will be overcome by them. Praising God for or in the midst of terrible conditions removes us emotionally from them as we begin to trust Him for His provision.

People are starting to talk about a coming financial depression, not merely a recession. What will that mean for most? It will become a struggle for many to make ends meet. But if I lose sight of God and focus on the situations around me, I’m simply adding to my problems. I will then begin to sink like Peter did even though the moment before he was actually and literally walking on water toward Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33), because Jesus was His full focus.

We do the same when we focus on the situations primarily. Dire situations will overwhelm our emotions in defeat. In that state, we can accomplish nothing and we are soon frozen in fear. Praise reverses that and renews our strength and commitment to God.

When I realized this (again), the other day, I deliberately began praising God. Each time I began thinking a thought that tried to overwhelm and defeat me, I turned it over to God and forced my thinking to see Him, His provision, His will, His perfect righteousness in praise. Each time I did that, the victory would be gained, but it’s not as though Satan (or our own flesh), gives up and never bothers us again. Praising God is something we must practice so that it becomes the normal conversation of our minds. Had Peter shifted his gaze back onto Jesus and off the waves and noise of wind and splashing, his fear would’ve likely been overcome. I’m not being critical of Peter. I’m simply stating that we go through the same types of things Peter did and we react the same way too often. We must relearn the way we think.

Friends, we are facing some terrible situations in life, much like Israel did. Judgment is coming because so many have tried and tried and tried to overthrow God, rejecting His moral code as Paul explains in Romans 1. God eventually gives that society over to itself and there comes a point of no return. Judgment is cleansing and renewing. It must happen before revival can occur.

I’m not saying our praise will change situations though it could. What I am saying is that our praise will change the way we think, which will change our outlook on life, increasing our faith and trust in God our Father. If we can do as Paul commands and enter into continual praise (1 Thessalonians 5:18), we allow God to work in and through us to bring about His will for us. As Peter stood on the water, he lost sight of Jesus because of the waves, destroying his faith. The waves overwhelmed him (replacing his faith), and he started sinking.

We often do the same, don’t we? I know I do and I have got to force myself to create a new habit of praising God in all things and for all things. If I fail to do this, I will, like Peter, sink and all I’ll be able to do is cry out for “Help!” from God my Savior. Jesus wants us to walk with Him and to gain strength from Him. This is only accomplished when we develop a habit of praising Him for and in all things. As we do this, we move away from a reliance on ourselves and a dependence on Him. I want to respond to life’s situations as Habakkuk did. That’s my goal because it brings God glory.

Only God truly knows all of what is going to occur over the next 12 months. No one else knows in spite of the fact that there are some who think they know. Instead of focusing on what is coming so that we are overwhelmed and frozen in fear, we should simply spend our time focusing on the extremely important matter of praising Him for everything that touches our life. The more we get in the habit of praising God, the more we will learn to build our trust in Him and we will find the hurdles we face are overcome because of clarity of thought provided by focusing and worshiping our God.

The alternative is a life of continual defeat. It’s our choice, isn’t it? Choose wisely.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective