Can You Praise God?

We all know someone who is likely to say, “Praise God!” when something good happens. For some it may be a meaningless expression, but for many it is a genuine attribution of praise because they know Who is responsible for all good things. If our minds are set on things above as they should be, thanking and praising the One who rules things above and things below is the correct response. Praise should be our default reaction to the many good things that God provides.

But do we praise God when bad things happen? Here is the true test of where our worldview is rooted. A perfect example is found in the response of Job when his wife and friends recommended that he curse God for what was happening. He wondered why he should accept good from God and not bad. He went so far as to say, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Job’s speeches prove that he did not understand why his circumstances were so dreadful, but he refused to abandon his trust in God.

David provides another prime example of praising God in the hard times. After God rejected King Saul for his disobedience, David was anointed king. But it was 15 years before Saul was deposed and David declared king. During the interim, Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, forcing him to run for his life and hide in caves and foreign countries. David had every reason to doubt God at that point, but he did not. Read his Psalms. Many were written between his anointing and his coronation. Yes, he complained and railed against the unfairness of his circumstances, but without fail, David’s closing remarks give praise to God for His enduring faithfulness. In the bad times!

We have no better example of a New Testament saint serving God with all his might than the Apostle Paul. What were Paul’s circumstances after he began his mission as the apostle to the Gentiles? Not always that good. He gives the Corinthians a list of his troublesome experiences: shipwrecked, flogged, stoned to death (nearly), chased by wild beasts (and humans too) and more. How did Paul respond? He told the Philippians that he had learned to be content in whatever circumstances befell him. The Thessalonians were encouraged to follow his example and, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

In the midst of the COVID outbreak, many Christians had reason to doubt God’s goodness. Many lost elderly family members or dear friends, sickness struck otherwise healthy individuals often with lasting consequences. Businesses that had been in the family for generations were shuttered never to reopen throwing families into financial ruin. The restrictions against public gatherings including church meetings were a source of serious consternation. Did you hear anyone say, “Praise God for COVID? As I wrote in “Finding God in COVID 19,” our human sense of fairness often conflicts with God’s sense of justice. The Psalmist reminds us that God executes His justice perfectly. Like it or not, that is reason to praise Him.

Another of our human weaknesses is to rely too heavily on our feelings. We don’t always “feel like” praising God. Bound as we are to our human frailty, we tend to base our feelings on our circumstances. As I have written previously, happenings produce happiness; faith produces joy as a fruit of the Spirit. The two are not the same despite what some people teach. This being said, faith should lead us to praise God whether we feel like it or not. If we believe that God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him, we don’t need to feel good to praise God for His goodness.

I think what we really need is to believe God is present in our circumstances. We have to remember that He promised to be with us in the flood and through the fire. I once wrote, “I need to believe God is present whether I feel something or don’t. If I rely on my feelings, I am falling prey to a soulish religion that lacks the power to save anyone. My faith can lead to feelings; it is wonderful when it does.” But we cannot rely on our feelings to experience the presence of God. Scripture says we are one with Christ. That is not a feeling; it is a fact. That is something we can praise God for no matter what.

Related posts: Happiness and Joy; Working All Things for Good; The Presence of God; The Goodness of God in the Bad Times;