Today is not the first day that Jack Kelley has written an article that so speaks to a personal situation, the difficulty of a loved one, my country or the state of humanity in general. I currently have several dear friends who have, in a way, hit bottom. Jack's lesson today is very much appreciated. There is no better way to tackle the apparent misfortune in our lives, than to give hearty thanks for it, praise the Lord, and march forth with a smile and surety in our faith. Seems strange, but out of every difficulty there comes strength, learning and a little more wisdom to help deal the next time around. Thank you, Jack, your missives are very much appreciated!
Here is Jack Kelley's wonderful article, quoted in full below. I have taken the liberty to emphasize in bold type.
Psalm 134
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
If the priests working in the Temple needed reminding to praise the Lord, how much more do we? Some of us spend a half hour or so on Sunday mornings praising the Lord and that’s it.
Yet the Lord blesses us all day every day. Shouldn’t our praise in some way approximate His blessing? And so what if you’re in a bad place right now? He’s gotten you out of bad places before and will do so again. Besides, you’ll soon be in Heaven with Jesus where you’ll be blessed forever. Praising the Lord is just the thing you need. Praise The Lord!
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil. 4:4-7)
Since you can only think one thought at a time, the time you spend praising the Lord is time you won’t be able to spend feeling bad about your situation. The Lord knows the trouble you’re in and He knows how He’s going to get you out of it. If you start praising Him now, who knows, He might deliver you sooner. So make a “contrary to feelings” choice. Put your favorite praise CD in the player or turn to your Christian radio station and start praising Him. I guarantee you’ll soon feel much better. Praise the Lord!
And if you’re in a great place, you shouldn’t need reminding. You should already be praising Him. It wasn’t your brilliance that got you here, but His blessing. There are plenty of brilliant folks in the world who never get anywhere. Look at the path you’ve taken to get where you are and pick out the unexplained coincidences. Those are where God got involved and decided to remain anonymous. Praise the Lord!
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
Visit Grace thru Faith, by Jack Kelley
RSS Feed