🔴 Emphasize the Praise
I was in a low place last week, and what I initially believed was me stumbling upon a random passage of Scripture was Divinely designed, and I got a great message from the reading. The reading passage was from Psalm 102:1-12, and the first twelve verses opened my eyes to a new perspective and mindset.
This psalm is written from a very dark place of affliction. There is immense pain, sorrow, and distress in these verses. It’s almost as if you’re grieving, mourning, and processing it through with them. For anyone that has been through hard times, these verses will resonate with you.
Eleven verses of affliction. Eleven verses of the truth of the reality of the agony. The twelfth verse is the one that caught my attention the most. Verse 12 is one of PRAISE.
But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. PSALM 102:12 (ESV)
What a beautiful thing for the psalmist to be able to praise amid their agony. In this verse, there are two concepts that I’d like to address:
- The psalmist’s situation had not changed before he praised.
- The praise of the psalmist didn’t negate what they were going through.
Sometimes we want to wait until our situation has changed before we decide to praise. How about we choose to do something different, change our perspective, and praise God in ADVANCE? The psalmist knew that God was “enthroned forever” and “remembered throughout all generations” no matter what he was facing. What a beautiful declaration–to be able to praise before the agony ever left. Right in the thick of it…when the affliction may be at its peak…to be able to PRAISE.
The psalmist praised in advance.
Just because they took time to pray doesn’t mean that it eliminated what they were going through. God saw their situation AND their praise. Often, we get worried that if we praise, what we’ve gone through will be in vain and overlooked. We fear that we will have struggled for nothing. We have acquired this mindset that we must be “down in the dumps” for our pain to mean something.
That’s not the case at all. We serve that God sees all things. In Genesis 16:13, Hagar praised God for being EL-Roi.
She gave this name to the LORD, who spoke to her:
“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” GENESIS 16:13 (NIV)
We serve a God who saves and a God who SEES. That means that He has seen what you’ve been going through. He sees your current situation. And He will also see your PRAISE.
It’s time to change our mindsets. It’s time to stop waiting until we see the light at the end of the tunnel before we praise. It’s time to praise God even if the situation hasn’t turned around for the better. It’s time to stop and have a ‘Verse 12’ of our own. No matter what we’re facing, take time to PRAISE.
Verse 12 says, “BUT YOU O LORD…”
Your situation may not be what you envisioned or imagined, but let’s praise it. Your finances may not look like you want them, but God is still on the throne. The doctors may have said that it doesn’t look good, BUT God is still Jehovah Rapha.
Your life may be up in odds, but God is still Sovereign.
We have to take time to praise Him simply because He’s God. Remember the God that you serve. He’s worthy of our praise.
~Stephani Bright
Stephanie Bright CEO of Christian Girls P.O.P
This devotional was written by Stephanie Bright a loving contributor to Our Given Purpose®. Edited by Torrie Slaughter in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
© Torrie Slaughter, LLC; Torrie Slaughter Photography, and Our Given Purpose®
