Praise!

“Why are you discouraged, my soul?

 Why are you so restless?

 Put your hope in God,

 Because I will still praise him.

 He is my savior and my God.”

          

                            Psalm 42:11 (God’s Word ©)

This portion of the Psalms seems to accurately define my feelings over the last few weeks.  The writer describes a battle that is being waged in a Christian between the natural part of man on the outside and the real man on the inside.  While the “soulish” part of the man is tiring and beginning to lose ground in a fight against a barrage of discouragement and restlessness, the born again man on the inside is sounding a trumpet call to reform the lines of the troops, encourage their fortitude and reestablish the battle plan.

It is almost like the inside man is shaking the shell shocked soul back into reality by looking him right in the face and declaring: “What are you doing?  What’s with the giving in to discouragement and restlessness?  Look here, it doesn’t matter what you are tempted with because ‘we’ are still going to trust the Lord and praise Him in the midst of the attack, because He is our deliverer and our God!”

With everything going on lately, I have found myself getting pretty tired and a little bit cranky!  And even though most would agree that my wife is doing better, there are still some physical needs that must be attended to with an increasing regularity.  At times, especially toward the end of the day, I simply have to smile, sing a song of PRAISE and dig down deep within to find the remnants of energy to do what must be accomplished.

The warm spring weather doesn’t help much either…  Lately my thoughts have been spending a lot of time in longing remembrance of alpine meadows, mountain trails and the scent of fresh coffee perking in the little yellow coffee pot sitting on the gas stove in the quiet campground early in the morning!  The hardest part is that all those thoughts include the company of my vibrant, exciting and adventurous partner in life!  Holding hands as we meander through the tall pines on the trail to the park museum, taking trips to the little country store in the nearby former lumber mill town, swimming (well, actually jumping quickly in and out) in the ice cold waters of the creek that runs through the camp, and enjoying the stunning nights as we sit under the star lit canopy of the towering trees.

The key phrase of the Psalmist in Psalms 42:11 and the greatest tool in my arsenal of weapons is “I will still PRAISE him.”  Those little moments of uttering and/or singing words of PRAISE unto Him have been like a shot of adrenaline to me in the midst of some of my most trying times.  It is better than any energy drink and has no negative after effects!  It is as if I have taken a minute to plug right into the source of heavenly strength, confidence, wisdom and peace.  This connection not only refreshes the situation, but brings healing to the spirit, soul and body.

So, give it a try this week!  When discouragement and restlessness knocks on your door, answer its bidding with a quiet (or loud – whichever the situation requires!) proclamation of PRAISE to God!  This action of faith on your behalf will quickly re-establish the lines of authority and put the attacking forces on the run before you!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”