Psalm 145:10-13 - "Praise You In This Storm"

How do you praise God when your heart hurts? How do you praise Him through 'tough' times in life? Is it even possible to praise Him through such times? These are questions we all face from time to time. They are questions we must answer for ourselves. We are all different and handle life in different ways. God made us unique and we cannot expect others to deal with life as we do. It is not right to judge others on how they live their life but instead we need to encourage them to live it for the Lord. The words to Casting Crowns Praise You In This Storm are once again on my lips this morning as I think of many going through 'tough' days. Oh how I pray they all will realize His peace in the midst of the storm they are in right now.

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear your 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

And I'll praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For you are who you are
No matter where I am

And 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

It is difficult to praise the God who gives and takes away but as we do we will be blessed. The more we realize He is always with us, the easier the 'tough' days will be. When we praise Him through the 'tough' days, others will see His love in and through us. I have shared over the last few weeks in sermons this saying:

God’s Faithfulness
Gives Us a Faith that
Leads to Our Faithfulness

The more we focus on Him, the more our faith will grow. The more our faith grows, the more His love will be realized in us. The more His love is realized in us, the more others will realize His love too. To share His love is why God has us on this earth. We all need to get better at doing so.

cDear Jesus,

Thank You for the opportunities You gave me yesterday to love with Your love! Thank You for the opportunities ahead in this day! Thank You for being with all of us through the 'storms' of life! I continue to pray for those going through some pretty big 'storms' right now. Little Ivy's family; Pastor Karen's family; Floretta and her famly; Jack who is having surgery today; my Momma who will have surgery tomorrow; my sister Linda with her recuperation; Mike and his family; my friend Iwilda; and so many others. Lord, may You be the calmness in their storms. May You be the peace they need every moment of every day. My heart breaks for so many who are dealing with 'junk' in life. But I also know You can use the 'junk' to take our faith deeper and that is what I am praying for all. Thank You for continuing to be with Ross and Mary as they travel and for giving Rickey safe travels yesterday! Thank You for being with Nancy as she helps Jack and Paula today! Thank You Jesus for being The Calmer of My Storms! Amen.