Friday 19^th April

Psalm 148, 150:6

“Let EVERYTHING that has breath praise the Lord, Praise the Lord.”

Finally spring has come. Trees are blossoming, flowers are growing, birds are singing and dare I say it, we have even seen the sun again. New life is all around us and creation is rejoicing in God’s harvest. Yet sometimes, when surrounded with God’s intelligently designed handiwork, we still struggle to find reasons to praise Him. We so often allow ourselves to get consumed in day to day struggles and problems, that we miss the blessings of now and focus on things that are not going so well in our lives.

See the thing is, as emotional and rational people, we are easily swayed by the good and bad things that happen in our lives, and those moments usually dictate our moods and our responses to life’s struggles. It is in those times that we forget God’s blessings of today and instead focus on the problems. God’s desire for us however, is to always see what good He has for us, even in the midst of hard times, and still rejoice in His goodness, no matter what comes our way.

Have you ever stopped and wondered why trees mostly grow with their branches reaching to the heavens. I remember having this conversation with my mother once and we came to the conclusion that they are reaching out and praising God. Ok of course, the sun has a lot do with their growth but if we take the same principle, that in all seasons, we simply stretch out our arms, receive the SON and praise Him, then you will see what fruit you will bear.

I truly believe that God designed creation for us to enjoy. He gave us a way that we might praise Him, even in the hard times. Just look around and see His beauty. Turn your sorrow into garments of praise. Join with creation praising its Creator. Join with angels singing out their praises to a Holy God. Let everything that has breath truly PRAISE THE LORD!!