God’s Hope for Your Heart from Psalm 69
LET PRAISE REVIVE YOUR HEART
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
For the Lord hears the needy
and does not despise His own people who are prisoners.
(Psalm 69:29-33)
Pain is no respecter of persons. There is no “free pass” to forever avoid sorrow and suffering, and sometimes the night can seem so long that it simply drags us down.
That’s when praise is most powerful.
Whether for encouragement or forgiveness, the healing of old wounds or soothing of fresh ones, praise is the answer. Whether our spirit has been brought low by the reality of hard circumstances or the deception of our enemy, praise is the answer.
We can choose to dwell on our sorrow, or we can choose to praise God for His salvation. We can choose to focus on our hurt, or we can choose to praise God for our hope in Christ. We can choose to listen to the voices of despair, or we can choose to speak and sing the truth of God’s deliverance, and when we do, we will discover something incredible.
It is when our hearts are broken that God’s healing lifts us up.
It is when our souls feel empty that His presence fills our cup.
It is when the night seems longest that we most need day to start.
Oh, but our God hears the needy, so let praise revive your heart.
-Pastor Phillip
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