II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 98 - "Praise You In This Storm"

The Lord woke me with an urgency to read Psalm 98. I read it in different versions and settled in with the New Living Translation. It begins: 

Sing a new song to the Lord,
    for he has done wonderful deeds. 
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
    his holy arm has shown his saving power!

I needed this reminder this morning as we start a new week. There is always something we can praise Him for when we stop and think about it. No matter what is happening in our little world we are assured God is with us. If we grumble like the Israelites during their trek across the dessert, we will be miserable. We must keep our focus on Him and not our circumstances. Sometimes that becomes hard when things keep happening but it is not impossible. I am reminded of what I said in the sermon yesterday about life being the pits. When life gets overwhelming, we need to taste and see that the Lord is good and spit out the hard stuff. It doesn't mean our troubles will go away but it does mean God will be our strength through whatever happens. What does that look like when you receive 'bad' news from the doctor? What does it look like when your prodigal child doesn't return? What does it look like when you lose a family member? It will look different for each one of us because God makes us each unique. The one thing that is not different is God must be our focus. We must stand upon II Timothy 1:7 in His empowerment and love to get through the 'tough' days. We must never give up on Him because He never gives up on us. This Psalm ends:

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
    Let the earth and all living things join in.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
    Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
9 before the Lord,
    for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
    and the nations with fairness.

When we keep our focus on Him and allow Him to empower us through 'tough' days, we will be blessed in the knowledge we will spend eternity with Him. It does not matter what happens on this earth as long as we stay focused on Him. He will give us His supernatural strength to praise Him through the storms of life.

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for this Scripture and song this morning that encourages me greatly to stay focused on You and praise You no matter what happens! Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for being our strength during these 'tough' days! Lord, I pray today will be a better day for Doc with less pain. I pray he will be able to eat and function better today. I also pray for Your supernatural empowerment in both of us. I pray for a cleansing in our spirits so You can give us exactly what You desire. May You shine brightly through us whether we leave the walls of this house or not. Thank You Jesus for being Our Empowerment! Amen.