Praise Him in All Things

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."
 -Psalm 107:1

"They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.
He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love."
-Psalm 107:5-8

"Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbles. And there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing Love and his wonderful deeds for men."
Psalm 107:10-16

If there is anything that I am learning, it's that you need to give thanks in ALL things. Not just when it is easy. The absolute hardest thing to do is to praise God even when you don't feel like it or you don't feel like there is anything to praise God for.

Life sucks sometimes you know? In those times of darkness it feels like there is nothing to praise Him for. Speaking personally it feels sometimes like you are groping about the darkness in one direction and then change directions hoping that it is the right one... when in reality you are no less lost than before. It can be a pretty hopeless situation.

So what do we do? Well first off, we can stop groping about in the darkness. The sadness is still there unfortunately. Sometimes it is much better to sit down in the darkness that is your despair and make a conscious effort to praise God for what you He HAS given you. It is INCREDIBLY hard. And sometimes very painful and you feel very vulnerable. Praise Him. Wait on Him. He will give you rest from the tiresome searching and maybe even direction if it is His timing.

Sometimes I wish I could fully practice what I'm saying on this thing. I still feel like my heart is groping about in the darkness for the thing that it desires. If I could just manage to sit down and wait on God and praise Him even in my hopelessness, my heart WILL find what it truly desires. The everlasting peace that only God can give.

Call on His name, wait on Him and praise Him in all of the things He has blessed you with. God will break through the darkness and come rescue you with His everlasting peace no matter how thick your darkness may seem.