yet I will praise.

“Yet I will praise….“

This declaration makes me think of how Job worshipped after losing everything.
In Job 1:21 he proclaims:

“The Lord gave & the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job’s words teach me that worship is not an emotion or feeling, but it is more a choice: a decision to trust, bless, and worship God and proclaim His faithfulness when nothing makes sense and you have more questions than answers.

2020 has been quite a year. . . with so much chaos in the world it’s easy to get caught up in the confusion and allow the cares of this life to rob us of the peace we have in Jesus. (Philippians 4:5b-7 “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.“)

It’s important, now more than ever before, that we keep our hearts and minds rooted in God’s love and in His Word. I think James says it perfectly in James 5:8 when he encouraged believers: “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” This means that it’s easy for our hearts to be carried away, but we are instructed to establish our hearts on the firm foundation of Jesus.

For me, trust in God is one of the first things that is shaken when troublesome times come. The enemy will always try to rob us of our confidence in Christ and cause us to question His character and faithfulness. When I relinquish my trust it allows fear, anxiety, worry, and doubt to invade my heart and mind. It has been that way since the beginning of time ― in the garden, the serpent caused Eve to question God’s Word and made her think that God was not trustworthy when he said: “Has God surely said???” (Genesis 3:1) The serpent caused Eve to doubt God’s Word and tempted her to trust in herself instead of God.

When I find myself struggling to trust God I always find encouragement in reading and meditating on His Word and in reading the words of other believers who have testimonies of trusting in the Lord’s goodness in the midst of trials.

Those who have proclaimed, in the middle of the storm: “yet I will praise.”

In times like these, may we be those that are meditating on God’s Word, trusting in Him, and allowing Him to establish our hearts.

Below are some of my favorite quotes and verses to read in times of discouragement, worry, or doubt. I pray they remind you of how faithful, good, and trustworthy our Lord is ― He is worthy of our confidence, faith, and trust. May we resolve to worship and trust Jesus, whatever may come.

"Never be afraid
 to trust an unknown future
 to a known God."
― Corrie Ten Boom

“I would sooner walk in the dark
 and hold hard to a promise of my God, 
 than trust in the light
 of the brightest day
 that ever dawned.
 To trust God in the light is nothing,
 but to trust Him in the dark - that is faith."
― Charles Spurgeon

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark,
 you don't throw away the ticket and jump off.
 You sit still and trust the engineer."
― Corrie Ten Boom

"When I try, I fail. 
 When I trust, He succeeds."
― Corrie Ten Boom