But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may Your salvation, God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people. (Psalm 69:29-31, 33 NIV)
Circumstances does not allow us to stop praising the Lord.
This is an easy principle to believe, and much harder principle to live out! The Lord wants our hearts. He wants our hearts regardless of what our current circumstances and view of life may be. The writer, probably David, was not in the middle of good times while writing today. He was afflicted and in pain. He was waiting on the salvation and protection of the Lord, instead of seeking his own deliverance. His choice for course of action was to praise God in song, and to glorify Him with thanksgiving.
How can we give thanks in the middle of trials?
How can we give praise in the middle of trials?
How can we wait on rely on the Lord instead of figuring everything out on our own?
Here is another essential truth. Your sacrifice does not please the Lord as much as your heart given to Him please Him. You are unable to truly praise and give thanks if He doesn’t have your heart. In the middle of your struggle, and in the middle of your trial. You can keep going through the motions of this life, but you would better off to stop, acknowledge you need Him, give Him thanks for the blessings in your life, and praise Him! He always wants our heart!
And…..
The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people.
Lord, You know all that I am going through. You know the good, the bad, and the ugly. You know what is weighing on me, and what I have truly surrendered to You. You know that I am desperate for You, not just today, but everyday. My prayer this morning is the same as David.
But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may Your salvation, God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people.
Daily Devotional 