Praise the Lord at all Times – Whether we Feel Like it or Not

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.  –Psalm 34:1-3

  

I recall many years ago hearing in a sermon what I thought was extremely sound advice.  The pastor of my home church stated that there will be times when we won’t feel like praying, studying the Scriptures, or serving the Lord.  Here was his advice: do them anyway.  We will have days when we don’t feel like praying; pray anyway.  There will be times when we do not feel like spending time in the Word; read the Bible anyway.  Some Sundays we may not feel like going to church; go anyway.  Some days we won’t feel like witnessing for Christ; share Christ anyway.  Because we are human and prone to human emotions, faults, and frailties; we will indeed have those instances where we simply do not feel up to doing that which the Lord has called and commanded us to do.  However, not feeling like doing what God has told us to will not cancel out His command.

Consider how long we would keep our jobs if we only went to work when we felt like doing so.  We all have days when we would much rather stay at home or do something else – anything else, rather than go to work.  But because we want to keep our jobs we find the strength to rise up and go to work.  When we take on this attitude in service to God, an attitude that says, “I will serve the Lord at all times regardless of how I feel,” then the Lord will most certainly empower us to accomplish His will for our lives.  And He will grant us tremendous joy in the process. 

No doubt there were times when David of the Old Testament did not feel like praising the Lord and exalting His name.  But he chose to do so anyway – not just when he felt like it, but all of the time and every day.  Such an attitude lifts us up spiritually, mentally, and emotionally and keeps us moving forward even during those times when we feel we lack the strength to serve the Lord.    

So, how are you feeling today?  Do you feel that you may not have the strength to praise the Lord and serve Him today?  By faith, rise up and resolve to do so anyway.  You may be surprised at the strength and power you will find through the Lord. 

 

Praise His holy name!  Praise Him today, tomorrow, and every day – no matter what.