It was a beautiful fall morning. The sun shone, the birds sang, and things went smoothly at work. Then the phone rang.
When I heard the voice on the other end, followed by an unlovely attitude, my whole day took a turn. I spent the rest of the day struggling to focus on the tasks at hand, and my mind kept returning to those troublesome words.
When I clocked out for the day and started my car, I turned on the radio. As God’s timing is always perfect, the song playing was “I Raise a Hallelujah.” The louder I sang along with this song, the more joy and peace I felt.
As David said in Psalm 28:7, when we focus on the Lord and His faithfulness to help us instead of our problems, we will have a song of praise to offer our King. The more we sing praise to Him, the stronger our faith becomes.
If that perfectly timed song was not enough to lighten my load and boost my confidence, the next song to grace the airways was also about the power of praise.
When we shift our focus from ourselves, our problems, and others, and put it on the goodness of our Savior instead, we see things from a new perspective. We notice how small most of our problems are compared to His power. Our real Enemy flees as light overcomes the darkness. We can even be thankful for the people and circumstances that cause us to draw closer to the One who helps us.
Whatever situation you find yourself in today, whether your heart is heavy due to the actions of another or broken over the hardest of circumstances, turn on some music and lift your voice in praise. Soon, your spirit will be lifted, and your heart will be filled with joy. That’s the thing about praise.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and JESUS_is_our_HOPE.)
Melissa Crone is a wife, mother to three beautiful young women, and grandmother of six. For most of her adult life, she has desired to encourage others through sharing the gift of God’s Word. Only after the death of her youngest daughter, Kristen, did she develop a desire to share that encouragement through writing devotions. She now wants to share the comfort she has received with other wounded hearts, especially those who have suffered the loss of a child. She is living proof that God’s grace is sufficient, even in our darkest night. She lives in Dyersburg, Tennessee, with her husband Donnie and enjoys spending time with her family. You can connect with her at nanagramps2202014@outlook.com or through Facebook.