The Power of Praise

It was a Monday--a Monday from the "pit". You know those days don't you? Nothing goes right from the moment you take the puppy out for her walk to...let's just say it was not a good day! She would not do anything she was supposed to do and she did much that she should not have. I will leave that to the imagination!

Photo by MeddyGarnet

Well, work did not go much better. The newsletter copy was due and I could not make the deadline, the network connections went down when I needed to save the overnight news and weathers (for later airplay) and I even bashed my hand into the printer while flying into my office too fast. Looking back, it seemed as though there were many other snafus that occurred and I just wanted to put my head down and cry.

It was time to do my radio program, "Vertical Connection", and I said, God, I am so unworthy to do this program today.  How can I bring You glory when I have such a yucky attitude?  The very first verse that popped into my head was from 2 Corinthians 12:10b "...for when I am weak then I am strong."  Let's look at the context of this for a moment.  Paul mentions the words of Christ in verse 9 as Paul wrestles with his "thorn in the flesh".  "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  Christ's grace and strength.  This man Paul, with all of his knowledge of the Torah humbled himself to say he would gladly rather boast in his infirmities that the power of Christ might rest upon him.  Now I'm no Paul but, God, through Christ Jesus offers us that same empowerment with grace and strength for the task ahead of us daily (and sometimes moment by moment!)

I bring this to light because I just felt so utterly worthless and incapable of being the "worship leader" my program requires.  Preparing to begin I started the program off confessing my need for God to step in and work on my behalf.  I began to praise my way through the program as song after song ministered to my spirit.  In so doing this I got the focus off of me and my stinky morning and on to the One it should have been on, the air began to clear and I soon began to know I was under His covering and able to again give back.

My hypothesis is simply that when we praise God we will diminish anxiety.   Indeed! Praising God--helped put an end to my difficult morning. Now I don't mean to say that my problems left but...they indeed were minimized as I brought God glory and praise. I brought God to the forefront of my problems.

Oh, if only that happened every time I found myself in a quandary like that.  And it can, when all the attention is turned upward, reflecting upon my most glorious King!  We all have those times when nothing seems to go as it should and simply put, we need to acknowledge that each day is a gift from our Father.  Let's rejoice in His faithfulness and allow His joy to fill us full to overflowing.   For it is then in our weakness, Christ steps in with grace and His strength and carries us through!

Lord Jesus, I don't want to operate in my own strength for I am inadequate. Your word affirms the fact that apart from You I can do nothing (John 15:5). Give me the grace to come to You in my weakness and as I choose to focus on all that You are, then You will indeed show Yourself strong on my behalf. Thank You for making my awful day manageable through the power of praise,  Amen.