Daily Devotional for November 21, 2011

Psalm 134
Everyone who serves the LORD, come and offer praises. Everyone who has gathered in his temple tonight, lift your hands in prayer toward his holy place and praise the LORD.

The LORD is the Creator of heaven and earth, and I pray that the LORD will bless you from Zion.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

For some, this will be a very difficult week. It’s hard to be thankful and lift your hands in praise when you are sad and lonely, sick and suffering, struggling in some manner, or grieving the loss of a loved one. For those who will face the first Thanksgiving Day celebration without a family member or friend, their job, or a place to call home, being joyful and offering praise to God may seem almost like an oxymoron.

But one of the marks of a faith-filled Christian is the ability to praise God even when “the chips are down.” When you come to a point where you can lift your hands and praise God even when challenges and sorrows seem to rain down from the sky, you are truly “getting there” in your faith walk.

Do you know someone who seems to always be smiling and behaving in a positive manner, even when you know for a fact they are hurting or facing extreme difficulties? Do you ever wonder how they do this… and wish you had this ability? You can! God knows what is happening in our lives. He appreciates the fact that we can celebrate Him even when we are not in the mood to do so. He understands that we grieve, get sick, lose our jobs, struggle in school and our personal relationships, and more... and He totally “gets it!” He also delights in the praise and gratitude of those who seem to have every reason not to be thankful, but offer their prayers nonetheless.

This holiday season, we must be conscious of those around us who are sad, suffering, challenged and stressed. We must encourage them and show God’s love for them whenever and wherever we can. But we must also demonstrate great faith in God to sustain us through all “seasons” of life by lifting our hands and giving Him our praise and thanks. We find thanksgiving an easy topic this week… but it should be in our hearts and on our minds every week of the year. Have you given God your praise lately? Isn’t this a great time to begin?

©2011 Debbie Robus