Week 16: We choose to praise

Devotional readings focused on Psalm 21, 33, and 47

Meditation

Skip to the Bible readings and journaling idea

I am waiting on an answer to prayer, and it’s slow in coming. Complexities increase each day and hope fades. But the Easter Sunday sermon I heard this week reminded me: I’m living through Saturday. It’s not Sunday yet. Resurrection Day is still on its way. And like it was for the disciples as they waited for Sunday to dawn, it’s easy for me to forget that Jesus is going to triumph over sin, death, and hell. . . when Sunday arrives!

I understand that “Sunday,” the day when Jesus puts everything to right, may not arrive for a long time, so I need to keep my faith and hope strong in this liminal space. One verse in this week’s readings spoke clearly to me about this:

Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,

According as we have hoped in You.

Psalm 33:22, NASB

If my level of hope is the measuring cup of God’s mercy, Lord, help me to strengthen my hope! I must choose praise over worry, prayer over problem solving, and faith over fear.

As Christians, we know we are supposed to live lives of hopeful praise, but we often struggle to keep our minds and hearts focused on God's goodness instead of all the chaos and trouble that surrounds us. Our thoughts are easily captured by the difficulties of life, and our awareness of God’s presence is dimmed.

I feel that tension in my own soul. I am blessed in so many ways, yet the challenges of life dominate my thoughts more than the triumphs do. Charles Spurgeon, a 19th century Baptist preacher and scholar, described the human propensity to focus on troubles this way:

"We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble

and write our blessings in sand."

Convicting, right? Especially because by midlife we have seen our share of troubles! That’s why the choice to praise is so pivotal in midlife. Middle age is the season where we determine our elderly orientation, because it from this viewpoint that we can best see our own past and future through the experiences of both our children and our parents.  At no other life stage will we have that unique vantage. It is at this point that we decide the trajectory of our old age.  Will we become bitter? Ungrateful and resentful? Full of cynicism? Or will we align our thinking and our practice with what God wants, and live thankfully and hopefully. 

This week, I’m providing a download to help us develop that orientation toward worship, hope, and gratitude.  Below the readings you will find a file named “Timeline of Blessings” that you can print or open on your tablet.   Here’s what to do with it:

Set aside some time during the week to reflect on God’s lovingkindness.  Start by reading one of the daily passages below, and then ask God to show you where He has been present in your own lived experience. As you review your own personal history, write down unique blessings or circumstances where you see God’s love in specific eras of your life.  Then, note them briefly (one line each) in the appropriate section of the timeline.  As you do this, ask God to engrave these memories on your heart and mind.

I started working on my own timeline of blessings a few weeks ago, and I was amazed at how my perspective changed when I focused on God’s lovingkindness .  It doesn’t solve the problems I’m currently dealing with. And it doesn’t speed up God’s answer to my prayer. But it does remind me that God loves me and has been unbelievably generous and faithful through the years. Even in those times where life was grim, I can find examples of God’s continuous care and grace, and those example give me the courage I need to stay hopeful and choose to praise. I think you will find the same as you join me in engraving God’s blessings on our hearts!

Readings and Timeline Exercise

Monday's reading: Psalm 21

Tuesday's reading: 2 Samuel 7

This passage gives a possible context for Psalm 21: David's consolidation of the Kingdom of Israel and God's special blessing on David's family line.

Wednesday's reading: Psalm 33

Thursday's reading:  Acts 16:11-34

This passage shows praise in action and how God works through our worship.

Friday's reading: Psalm 46

Weekend reading: Psalm 47

Timeline of Blessings.pdf

Download PDF • 330KB