There are times when we are going through such terrible suffering, we can hardly get out of bed to face the day. Whether it be the fear of losing a loved one (to death), the pain of facing a scary diagnosis, the bleakness of needing to work in a job that feels crushing, or some other tragedy or loss, it can be a terribly heavy load to bear.
When my husband was lying in the ICU in a coma with a ventilator doing his breathing for him, I was faced with scary decisions, deep concerns about his care, and crippling emotions going on in my soul. At the same time, my 91 year-old Dad was also in the hospital with pneumonia and my Mom was left alone most of the daytime hours to sit with Dad while I was at a different hospital watching over Andy. I felt like I was going to be crushed under all the events unfolding.
I remembered something I had been taught all of my life by God's Word and by several faithful pastors. It was ringing in my mind as this thought, "Praise the Lord in ALL circumstances." I certainly did not feel like praising God. I wanted to curl up in a ball on the hospital chair and shut out all the scary noises of Andy's ventilator, but I began to praise God for anything and everything I could come up with.
"I praise You, Lord, for the kind smile of Andy's nurse today." "I praise You Lord, for the good news that my Dad seems to be overcoming his pneumonia." "Thank you Lord God, for the beautiful salad I had for lunch full of Romain lettuce and strawberries." I began making it a challenge to find things to praise God for.
You know what it did for me? It caused me to have the strength to keep going, to keep advocating on behalf of my husband's care, to be able to successfully drive back and forth from the hospital each day and night when the winter months were gloomy and cold. It strengthened me to come home to a dark, lonely house that was rapidly growing more and more unkempt as time wore on. It brought me through the months of surgeries and rehab that followed Andy's initial hospitalization with my sanity intact.
I can attest to the fact that we don't have to FEEL like praising God, but that if we will simply do it because Scripture tells us to do it, our focus and mood will improve. It helps our brain focus on the POWER, the LOVE, and the GOODNESS of God and His promises to give us overcoming power instead of focusing on the seemingly insurmountable circumstance.
I'm writing this article today to remind you that when you are facing your worst crisis, this is the act of obedience that has the power to shift your focus off the problem and pain at hand, to the hope that God promises His children. To be clear, we are told to praise God IN our circumstances (not for our circumstances).
Meditate on these Bible verses and prepare your mind to face your current crisis, or your next crisis, and watch how God will bless your praise of Him.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." - Romans 12:12
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." - Philippians 4:6
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." - Philippians 4:4
I want to make sure I don't give you the impression that I am some super spiritual person who was able to praise God in that dark season of my life. Rather, I am singing the praises of the empowering strength of the Holy Spirit to cause me to remember this powerful focus-shifter, the praise and worship of God. It was the Holy Spirit that literally gave me the faith to praise Him even though I felt fairly certain I was going to lose my husband as the doctors warned.
In this situation, there was a miraculous ending to this story. Andy recovered fully (6 months later) and God used that whole season to grow my faith in the face of my complete lack of control over Andy's life or death.
I encourage you to get into the habit of praising God every single day. After a while, you will begin to feel the strengthening effects it will have upon your mind and body.