Change Your Perspective - PRAISE!

Have you ever just LET LOOSE and sang to the top of your lungs, or danced like no one was watching? I confess, I randomly do just that. BUT, have you ever done it when your having a "not so great" day or feeling overwhelmed?

God tells us in Philippians 4:4 to "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

WHAT?  ALWAYS?  That's not possible!

TRUST ME! I thought the same thing. There have been times in my life, when I have lost hope and couldn't see God in my pain. Sometimes, I would find myself yelling at God. Saying, "God, where are You? Don’t You care about me? Why have You abandoned me?" 

I am so thankful that God is never turned off by my human reaction to some very real pain, but I assure you that when I'm feeling overwhelmed, the last thing I want to do is sing or praise!

On Friday March 10, 2017, I was having one of those "not so great" days. I did not feel very joyful. Life was definitely overwhelming me, but I felt God was wanting me to PRAISE Him! BUT GOD! I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT! Then, as I am going about my day, I hear this song "Sunrise" by Meredith Andrews start to play. With lyrics like..

"I’m coming into the promised hope 

With the faith that I won’t let go

Every time I choose to lift my eyes

I see sunrise"

Something inside me triggered, and I just cranked the volume, and started singing to the top of my lungs. I experienced one of those, "dance like no one's watching " moments. I was so thankful for "MY PROMISED HOPE." 

God download such joy on me that day. He took me above my circumstance, and for a moment, I just let go and PRAISED Him.

Later, I found out, that on March 10th, the same day I was feeling compelled to PRAISE, my father-in-law was getting his cancer diagnosis. I thought, "God why did you allow me to feel joy, when you knew my father-in-law was dying?" I didn't feel very good. In fact, I felt guilty. How dare I be praising God and feeling happy, when my father-in-law was dying. Two weeks later, He he breathed his last breath on this earth.

I can't even begin to understand the why's of all the pain and suffering we face, but God continues to remind me, that He wants me PRAISE Him IN my pain, and my "not so great" days. My joy doesn't come because my life is VOID of pain, it comes because God is with me IN my pain. Which is how this video came about. I was having another "not so great" day, and again God said, PRAISE Me!

I'm not saying that we can't express the very real emotion that our pain causes, or that we always need to be joyful. But, what if you could change your perspective, and find the strength to praise Him IN your pain? 

Take Paul and Silas for instance, "They were attacked, stripped and severely beaten with wooden rods, and thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were PRAYING and SINGING hymns to God. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Acts 16:22‭-‬26 

I don't know about you, but if I was just beaten and thrown into prison, I think singing, would be the last thing I'd want to do. 

(MAYBE they didn't either at first? I mean, the scripture did say it was around midnight when they were praying and singing. I wonder if it took them a while to see past their pain and decide to PRAISE? But that's just a question I have.)

I can't even imagine the pain they were in, or how they must have felt. But that's just the point. Our relationship with the Lord is not based on our feelings. When we PRAISE God in our pain, He takes us above our overwhelming circumstances so our eyes are focused on HIM and not our pain.

As you have just seen with Paul & Silas, PRAISE can not only change your perspective, but it can sometimes change your circumstance!

If your feeling overwhelmed and struggling with the mess of life, or your questioning God. I pray that God will give you the strength to lift your eyes up, and change your perspective- PRAISE!

"I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises."

Psalms 34:1 NLT