THANKFUL

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Lord, was the psalmist having a bad day? Was he singing the blues when singing the blues wasn’t cool? He knew what would bring him out of the dumps, but the battle raged in his mind. Surely God’s Spirit said, “Praise Me, your Lord. Give Me thanks.” Did his soul resist? “I don’t want to praise the Lord. I’m happy celebrating my pity party.” God’s message was clear when He finally got through to his stubborn soul. “I didn’t command You to praise Me if you felt like it. Your feelings don’t matter. I said to praise Me in all your circumstances.” Apparently the psalmist had enough and ordered his soul to give praise to the Lord.

“Bless the Lord, oh, my soul. And all that is within me, praise His holy name,” (Psalm 103:1).

That “all that is within me” part included his non-compliant feelings. It also included the subtle rebellion hidden in his heart that pushed back on God’s commands for obedience from time to time. The psalmist could throw his pride into that group as well, since it fought God daily for control of his soul. Lord, I can hear the psalmist declaring out loud Your precepts as he reaffirmed his daily, conscious choice to surrender every area of his life to Your Lordship (Psalm 119:13). In essence, the psalmist stated a rock-solid truth how You call every Christ-follower to order their lives: My relationship with God is not based on feelings, but on the truth of who God is and His plan for my redemption from sin through His son Jesus.

Lord, whenever I’m tempted to “enjoy” a bad day, help me order my soul into joyous, nonstop praise. By Your authority and power, Jesus. Amen.