Tried and true…
We are getting somewhat pounded with snow today. Though I suppose those who just experienced far worse along our east coast might not be too sympathetic towards us.
Suffice to say it is coming down steadily and my heart goes out to the teachers around the Midwest as well as students who were slammed with a remote day instead of a snow day.
Bless you all. Bless each and every one of you staring into all those little squares with wiggling children staring back.
This morning my devotion as well as the current Kelly Minter study I am doing were about praise and how even weak praise makes a difference.
I had to laugh as I was reminded of one of those life experiences where I learned the truth of this.
Shortly after we started attending the church that has been our home for twenty plus years, I was driving our van with three of the crankiest kids on the planet that day.
I was about to lose my mind and my temper when one of the praise songs we would sing popped into my mind.
This was pre-big screen with the lyrics days, and we would get a little slip of paper each Sunday with that day’s praise songs printed. I brought those puppies home with me each week and made it my business to learn these new-fangled songs.
We were hymnal people before God brought us to FCC and I loved the songs so much I wanted to memorize them.
Well on this particular day as I was considering dropping our three cherubs off on the side of the road, I gritted my teeth and literally hissed
This is the day…
No response…
This is the day…
That the Lord has made.
I will rejoice.
No response….
I will rejoice
A few joined in…
And be glad in it. *
We carried on like this as one by one they began to join in and I will tell you that for me the whole atmosphere of the car changed.
The fog of chaos cleared and I regained my composure even as I started laughing thinking about how lame I had started out this impromptu worship service.
I learned that day what I had been told.
I experienced what the teachings I read today are promising.
Praise, no matter how weak, changes the atmosphere and changes the inner person of the one who offers it.
Praise turns our focus to who God is and off of what is going on around us and inside us.
Praise invites us into His Presence and in His Presence, things change for the better.
Try it.
Memorize some short praise songs to be your go-to’s.
You will find it makes a world of difference. For you and those around you.
Blessings friends <3
*This is the Day written by Jonathan David Hunt, Andy Harrison, and Brian Pridham Jr.