Praising God in All Circumstances

In response to Pastor Trifon’s amazing message on Psalm 34 last Wednesday, I wanted to share a very simple tool I learned as a teen in my youth group.  

Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

At all times?  Continually?  Even when there’s cancer?  Even when I'm robbed?  What about when I lose a loved one?  

Yes.  Continually.  

We can praise God no matter the circumstance, because He doesn’t change.  He is always God.  He is always good.  He is always on His throne, and He has you in the palm of His hand.  We can rest in the hope that He has a good plan for us.

As Trifon said, “We praise God because Jesus died for us!”  Our praise should not be dependent upon our current circumstances.  Our trials and tribulations are but light and momentary compared to the glory that awaits us in heaven!  It helps to keep that in perspective.

So… about this tool I was talking about.  Sometimes when I pray, I get in a rut or I find myself immediately jumping into my prayer requests, treating Jesus more like Santa than my Lord.  I was taught a simple acronym to help me remember all aspects of prayer.  This is not a “formula,” but just a tool that helps keep me focused.  There are several out there, but the one that sticks with me is ACTS:

A: Adoration - Praise God!  Describe how awesome He is.  Praise Him for the wonderful things He has done in your life.  Call Him by the many names He is known by (more on that in a bit).

C: Confession - This isn’t talking about going to a priest and listing off all your sins to get you off the hook until next time.  This is a one-on-one with God, your Father.  Be honest with God about the struggles with sin that you have.  He already knows.  Take the time to truly repent and turn from the sin you are in bondage to.  He has already forgiven you.

T: Thanksgiving - We don’t do this enough!  Thank Him for clean clothes, for your refrigerator, for the good food you eat, for running water.  Thank Him for dying on the cross for you.  Thank Him that He is ALIVE today, and that we will live with Him for eternity.  There is so much to be thankful for.

S: Supplication - This word means more than just asking for something.  It means to ask someone for something earnestly and humbly -- even begging for something.  Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  God is a good Father -- He wants to answer your prayers according to HIS will.  Try keeping a journal of your prayer requests and how God answers them.  It will help you branch out in prayer, and it will encourage you later as you look back at how faithful God is.

Since we are talking about praising God continually in Psalm 34, there is one more tool I want to share with you regarding the “Adoration” portion of the acronym above.  When I was a teen, our youth group was at a conference in a huge stadium filled with thousands of spiritually hungry youth.  The guy leading worship asked us to just go through the alphabet and speak out words that describe or name God.  Moments later, one teen broke the silence and boldly spoke out, “God, you are Almighty.”  Then another called out, “Lord, You are Beautiful.”  And yet another called out, “Father, you are my Creator,” and so on, until we had gone through the entire alphabet.  It was a beautiful way to get a glimpse of God’s multifaceted character.  

I often do this when I’m “stuck” in prayer and am not sure how to praise God in a current situation.  Praise is the gateway into the very throne room of God.  It truly brings us into His presence and fills us with the faith needed to boldly ask God our requests.  

Don’t forget that God is not only our Friend and Father, but He is the Lord, worthy of our praise!  

Psalm 71:8 says, “Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day.”  

A Year of Suffering

This past year has been… well, different. I had a relatively easy life up until January 2017 (and honestly still do!). I had not gone through very many hard trials before. Life was good! My family was all healthy; we had everything we needed… Things were going well.  

But I kept reading in the Word and hearing sermons about suffering. I would hear sermons where the pastor would say, “If you aren’t going through suffering right now, brace yourself, because it’s coming!”  

In a strange way, I WANTED some hard times to come. I had grown kind of stagnant in my walk with the Lord, and I knew going through trials was necessary to come to the end of myself and be completely dependent on the Lord. I even remember praying a crazy prayer, “God, bring whatever circumstances into my life, even if it means suffering, so that I can draw closer to You. Let Your will be done in my life.”  

It wasn’t long after that, when one night I had a sudden feeling of heaviness in my body. My left arm went numb and tingly like it was asleep. I had to lay down, as I felt immediately exhausted. My first thought was a heart attack, but I quickly dismissed it. The feeling was still there the next day, so I went to the E.R.  After 3 MRI’s and a lot of bloodwork, they couldn’t come up with a conclusion and sent me home with some steroids.

Over the next few days, the heavy numbness and tingling feeling spread to my whole body, and it has been constant to this day along with a lot of pain, weakness, fatigue, and a whole host of other symptoms. I have since been diagnosed with 2 autoimmune conditions, but the doctors still think there is something else causing the whole-body pins and needles, which remains a mystery.

I reluctantly had to step back from leading the Children’s Ministry at C4, though God had been putting it on my heart for awhile. I had to step back from our homeschool co-op. I had to simplify my life down to the very minimum so I could just get by. My life, as I knew it, was suddenly flipped upside down.  

My middle son, Isaac, has also been suffering with a severe case of whole-body Restless Legs Syndrome. I would seriously give anything to take it from him. Even worse than my own physical suffering is the helpless feeling I have watching my son suffer without any relief. We are exhausted!

I recently heard a story about a man with Parkinson’s and his blind wife who lived in a village in Brazil. The man would often fall-- sometimes into a fire, sometimes into water, sometimes near a road. He read in the Bible that we should “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and decided to take this to heart and apply it. Every time he fell, he would pray aloud, “God, thank you for always being with me. Thank you for helping me get back up. Thank you for loving me. Thank you that I can depend on You. Thank you for healing me.” This act turned the entire village around-- they knew they had no right to complain about THEIR circumstances, and they also began thanking God in all things.  What a beautiful picture!

When I am tempted to complain about my circumstances, feel lonely or misunderstood, or host a pity party for myself, I remember that there are people going through MUCH harder trials than I am.  I am thankful that God has spared me from so much. I remember that JESUS went through way more suffering than we ever will on the cross-- for you and me. 

I remember that it is THROUGH these trials that God will draw me to Himself.

Look at what the Word says about suffering:

• James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  
• Romans 5:3-4 says, “. . . we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
• Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

A few things Isaac and I found to be thankful IN suffering are:

• We have learned to have true compassion and empathy for those that are suffering.
• We have drawn closer to the Lord.
• We can’t WAIT to be in Heaven!  Nothing is holding us down here on earth.
• We have spent more meaningful time with one another.
• We know God wants us to use our suffering for His glory.
• We are still alive and kickin'!

Notice that none of these verses say we need to be thankful FOR the trials we are going through.  But we are to be thankful IN the trials we go through. Being thankful truly changes our perspectives and attitudes-- have you noticed?  God is definitely doing a work in me through this, because I am a natural complainer, for sure. But He reminds me daily to just be thankful and to keep my eyes on Him. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  Isaac told me last night, speaking of believers, "You know, God doesn't allow something bad to happen to someone unless He will bring something good out of it."

God is good, all the time.  And all the time, God is good.