Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Gratitude Challenge 2023 – Day 2
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. – Psalm 4:8
Dear God, we are so thankful that we can turn to You when we need peace and safety. Even when we have worries, we can rest in Your arms. There is no safer place to be. When we let go, please hold on to us. Thank You, Lord! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
I’m grateful for the Lord’s peace and safety. I’m grateful we can all meet here together, while we all live many miles apart. And I am thankful for my parents. ♥️
What are you grateful for today?
(You might need tissues for today’s song. This one always gets me.)
Gratitude Challenge 2023 – Day 1
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. – Psalm 3:3
Dear Heavenly Father, no matter what is going on in our lives, we are thankful to know that You are the shield around us. You keep our heads lifted high and our hearts full. Thank You, Lord. What a joy it is to have You in our lives. You lift our spirits and bring comfort when the road is rocky. When we walk with You, we never walk alone. We love You. We trust You. And we are thankful for You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
I am grateful that God is my shield and the One who lifts my head high. I am grateful to be embarking on this gratitude journey with you. And I’m grateful for pretty sunrises and sunsets.
What are you grateful for today?
Today is a Gift
Hi Friends,
Today I want to share a five minute video.
Daryl Madden shared this with me a couple of years ago. And at that time, I shared it here with you as well. But I needed to watch it again, and I thought I might not be the only one.
Enjoy!
I will see you on November 1, as we kick off the gratitude challenge.
If you have any prayer requests, please let me know. For those of you who have shared prayer requests with me before, know that I’m praying.
I hope you have a blessed weekend.
Gratitude Challenge 2023
Hello, Friends!
As you might know, I usually try to do some sort of gratitude challenge around this time of year. I admit, though, sometimes I am on the fence about it. Life can be stressful and busy. So it’s easy to come up with excuses on why I can’t do it or don’t have time.
(To all my friends who post daily on a regular basis – you’re amazing! 😁)
However, the reasons for doing a gratitude challenge outweigh the reasons not to. For starters, I know I will be glad I did it, because I always am.
And I think that when it comes to doing something like this, the enemy will try to steer us in the wrong direction. The same applies to things like fasting, tithing, witnessing, volunteering, or anything that God wants us to do for His Kingdom or for our own spiritual growth.
And with life being stressful and busy, I believe a gratitude challenge is needed.
So with all that being said, the gratitude challenge will run through the month of November. I will post each day, but the posts will be short since we all have packed calendars.
The posts will contain a verse from the Psalms, a short prayer, gratitude, and some days might include a praise song as well.
If you can join in, I welcome you and look forward to our journey together. If you can’t join every day, that’s okay! However, you might still practice gratitude daily offline.
I’m looking forward to it. I hope this will help each of us to build our trust in the Lord, as we take time to see how much He is always there for us.
That’s all for today. I hope you have a peaceful weekend.
Finding Rest and Peace in the Lord
Sometimes life is stressful. During these times, we might long for a break from the pressures of life. We might wish we could take a vacation, relax on a tropical beach, close our eyes, and turn off the world. Even if it was only for one day. However, that is not always possible. Life goes on. We have responsibilities that require our attention.
I was thinking about all of this last weekend as I took a stroll around the yard with one of my dogs. (Sometimes getting outside helps to clear our minds.) It occurred to me that rest can be a frame of mind. Even if we cannot eliminate the stress in our lives, we can choose to find rest in our souls.
The day after I had this thought, my friend Judy posted Inspiration from 2017. What Judy shared in this post resonated with what I had been thinking about:
Peace isn’t about what’s going on outside; it’s about what’s happening on the inside. Anxiety and worry won’t solve anything only sap needed energy for what needs to be done. The difficulty comes when what needs to be done is to wait. Give the battle to God and praise Him in the storm. ~ Laurel Hawkes
How can we find rest and peace, even in the midst of stressful times? The words of Jesus found in Matthew 11:28-30 bring comfort:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)
Dr. Charles Stanley wrote, “All of us need rest, and Jesus promises to give it to us when we find our rest in him. He is our burden-bearer. When we surrender the circumstances of our lives to him, he lifts us up and infuses our hearts with fresh hope and wisdom. Some situations are just too difficult for us to handle, but nothing is too great for him. He promises to refresh our weary souls when we cry out to him.”
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) reminds us to, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
I love the latter part of this verse in the Amplified translation of the Bible: “Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].” (emphasis added)
What comfort that brings to know God cares about us with deepest affection and He watches over us very carefully.
All of this sounds wonderful. Yet, we might wonder how to actually grab hold of this rest and peace. Below I have some strategies that have helped me. If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments.
Amplify Your Prayer Time
There is power in prayer, even our silent prayers. However, I have found that when I write out my prayers, this act seems to turn my heart around. I will start off feeling stressed and walk away feeling peaceful. There’s something special and concrete about putting pen to paper.
I also find it helpful to include Bible verses in my prayers. The Bible is full of truth and promises that we can cling to during stressful times.
And I have found comfort in speaking my prayers out loud. Peace ushers in, especially if I am walking outdoors while praying. I think this is in part because I feel closer to God when I’m outside. But praying aloud also has a unique way of connecting us to God. Pastor Jentezen Franklin believes in praying out loud because “when we were instructed to pray the Lord’s Prayer [Jesus] said ‘say,’” and “we are to ‘speak’ to that mountain.”
Put it in the box
Picture all of your worries. One by one, go through them in your mind. They can add up. And if you picture them all in one big pile, that pile would be very heavy. Our human strength can’t hold it all. Now picture Jesus holding a box. We can place all of our worries in that box. For Jesus, the weight of the box never seems to grow. He can carry all of it. The next time you are overwhelmed with the weight of your troubles, say to Jesus, “I am putting this in the box. I can’t carry all of this, but You can.”
Of course our human nature will be tempted to take things back out of the box. We will start to worry and fret all over again. Once we realize what we’ve done, we can put it back in the box.
This doesn’t mean we run the other way and avoid our own lives. As I said earlier, we still have responsibilities. However, when we remember that our Shepherd is with us, this helps us to face our difficulties. We hold tightly to the Lord and His strength.
“My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible.” – Ruth Bell Graham
Scripture Yourself to Sleep
At night when I am in bed, I like to go over some of my favorite Bible verses in my mind. Some nights I might go over different passages. Other times I might stick with the same one. This helps me to settle down and find peace, as I drift off to sleep.
Take Things Off Your Plate
During stressful seasons, there is only so much we can put our time and energy towards. Therefore, if there is anything you can remove from your plate during this season, then I encourage you to do that as well. This will allow you to clear away some of the chaos and have more time to sit at the Lord’s feet.
I’m so thankful we can rely on the Lord and His strength, especially during stressful seasons of life. I don’t know how anyone lives without God. But I’m thankful we don’t have to. And I believe our relationship with Him is a big part of how we can find rest and peace during difficult times.
If you are in a stressful season, please let me know how I can pray for you. If you don’t mind, please say a prayer for my family. And please pray for Israel. As Christians, we are called to stand with Israel. Also pray for our world, as many protests are scheduled today.
Thank you for reading and being here. Your friendship means a lot to me.
© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Jehoshaphat’s Story – Conclusion
What a journey we have been through over the past three months, as we studied Jehoshaphat’s story found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. One ordinary day, King Jehoshaphat learned that there was a vast army coming against him and the nation of Judah.
In our lives we might not see the same kind of battle that Jehoshaphat was up against, but we will face battles of many kinds on this earth. We have a very real enemy whose goal is to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). That is why this story is a meaningful one for us to study. This story teaches us to stand strong against whatever comes our way.
In the beginning of our journey, we learned that Jehoshaphat wasn’t a perfect man. He did make mistakes. None of us are perfect and we will make mistakes too. But one thing I appreciate about Jehoshaphat is that he learned from his mistakes, which in turn helped him to make better choices. And hopefully we can say the same.
With his past mistakes in mind, the first thing that Jehoshaphat did was turn to God. He knew that God was his rock. He knew that walking closely with God was the key to a blessed life. And we can say the same. Each day we have a choice to walk with God. And then when a difficulty hits, God won’t be far away, because He has been by our sides all along.
Next Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast for the entire nation. Fasting is often an overlooked spiritual habit. However, fasting is a powerful practice, especially when we are facing a battle. When approached correctly, fasting can draw us closer to Lord, open doors, bring us fresh insight, and bring breakthrough to things we are facing.
Then we saw the nation come together as one body and they sought God. Seeking God on a daily basis means turning our hearts towards Him. We have to be intentional about this every day of our lives. If we don’t seek Him, our hearts will search for other things to satisfy our longings. But truly only Jesus can satisfy us. And the fact that the nation came together as a community helped them to stand stronger against this attack.
In this story I appreciate how King Jehoshaphat stood before the nation and prayed. In the midst of a tragedy, the people would look to their king for guidance. If he was fearful, they would be as well. But Jehoshaphat decided to pray to the God of the universe. And I believe this step helped the people to also turn to God in prayer.
After this moving prayer, the people received a word from God. They were told to not be afraid or discouraged because the battle belonged to God. When we face a battle, this is a powerful truth for us as well. We often try to fight our battles in our own strength. But God is there to fight for us. That doesn’t mean we won’t have action to take. God might still ask us to do something. Therefore, listening to the Holy Spirit is key.
When the people received this encouraging word from God, they believed Him and trusted Him. This is important for us as well. The enemy will try to place doubt in our minds. Just like when he approached Eve in the Garden of Eden, he will have us wonder, “Did God really say that?” Holding tightly to The Truth will help us in these situations.
In the midst of a trial or not, this story taught us the importance of praise. As the men marched towards a potential battle, they praised God. Praising God has a way of moving mountains and filling our hearts.
When Jehoshaphat and his men arrived on the scene of the battle, victory had already been won. All the soldiers from the other nations had killed one another. The men of Judah didn’t have to lift a finger. What a miracle! And God also blessed them with piles of plunder from the other nations. When we keep God in the right place in our hearts, He will bring us victory and blessing.
Finally, we saw how Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah held gratitude in their hearts. No matter what season we are in, gratitude is an important part of our walk with God. This helps us to see the ways He has blessed us. And as a result, it helps us to trust Him with whatever we are facing.
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. – Psalm 63:7-8 NIV
This story is packed with many valuable nuggets. No matter what we are up against, I pray that we can proceed with faith, as Jehoshaphat did in this story. I admit that it isn’t always easy. But we don’t have to rely on our own strength. We have Jesus with us at all times. He can give us strength and guide us along the way
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I am a bit sad to see it come to an end. But the lessons we learned can remain in our hearts, just as all of the truths found in Scripture can remain with us. Sometimes we will need to remind ourselves of truth. But it is always there for us. God gave us an amazing gift when He gave us the Bible. This is His Word, living and breathing. When we seek it daily, it has a powerful impact on our lives. And it helps anchor us to the Lord each day.
© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Jehoshaphat’s Story – Gratitude
Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.
The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
– 2 Chronicles 20:27-30
We have reached the end of Jehoshaphat’s story. And what better way to end this powerful story than with gratitude. After the victory, Jehoshaphat and his army went to the temple with musical instruments. We can picture them overflowing with thanksgiving towards God.
In the beginning of the story, things looked dismal. A vast army was coming against them. The outcome from a human perspective seemed hopeless.
But we must remember that when things seem hopeless in our lives, we always have hope with Jesus by our side.
In this story, although things appeared hopeless, God delivered them. He brought an unforgettable victory to Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah. As a result, the people rejoiced and played music as a way of expressing their joy and gratitude.
In our journey through this story, we are focusing on gratitude after the victory. However, gratitude is part of the entire journey. Even in the midst of the battle when we can’t see the victory yet.
A few weeks ago we talked about how Jehoshaphat and the nation praised God. They praised Him before they saw the conclusion to their own battle. And when praising God, some of the words they spoke were, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” (v 21, emphasis added)
Praise and gratitude go hand in hand. Therefore, gratitude can also remain in our hearts at all times – whether things are going well in our lives or not. Whether we are in a battle or have seen a victory.
I fear that gratitude is one of the most overlooked, yet also one of the most powerful tools, we have as Christians.
Why is gratitude so important?
1 – The opposite of gratitude – complaining and grumbling – grieves God.
There is a story in the book of Numbers that I have been thinking about a lot lately. It says in Numbers 11:1 (NLT), “Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp.”
Wow! This tells me that God takes our complaining seriously. Complaining comes when we are not content in life. True contentment can only come when we are walking closely to the Lord. He helps us to have peace in our hearts, no matter what our circumstances look like.
As my friend Manu put it, “The desires of a grumbling heart can only be satisfied through intimacy with God. Drawing near to God, satisfies our hearts, quenches our soul and rights our perspective.” (Manu did an excellent study on the book of Numbers. This quote comes from her post titled “Book of Numbers – What Defines Your ‘Good?’”)
The world around us gives us plenty to complain about. Having a negative mindset is contagious. However, being optimistic and looking for the good around us is also contagious. Therefore, we can choose. We can choose to look around for all the blessings that God has brought into our lives. When we do, this will lift our hearts, and draw us closer to the Lord.
2 – Gratitude helps us in the midst of a battle.
My friend Judy posted this quote on her blog last weekend:
“There is no more devastating blow against evil than when a human being chooses God in the face of suffering, disappointment, unbelief, chronic pain, frustration, abandonment… Before the circumstances change, to get up and proclaim that GOD IS GOOD is a devastating blow to evil.” – John Eldredge
When I read this quote it hit home. As many of you may know, last weekend I asked for prayers for my family. We have been walking through something difficult. And I can tell you that in the midst of the storm, gratitude is not what I want to focus on.
If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you! – Proverbs 11:27 NIV
Yet despite the circumstances, we can always find something to be thankful for. And when we do, we are essentially fighting the evil that is around us. The enemy wants nothing more than for us to cave, and to give in to anxiety, fear, depression, bitterness, and anger. But when we choose to be grateful, we are choosing God’s way.
Some of my favorite Bible verses come from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. NIV says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
It is God’s will for us to give thanks in all circumstances.
3 – Gratitude helps our hearts.
Gratitude really is medicine for the soul. When we look for the good around us, rather than focusing on the negative, this not only boosts our mood but it also has a positive impact on our health.
If you have been following my blog for a while then you have probably heard me talk about gratitude a lot. After reading Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts, I started a gratitude journal. And I can tell you firsthand that since starting this practice, I have more peace and contentment in my life.
It doesn’t mean everything goes well in my life. And it doesn’t mean I am always perfect in looking for the good. However, writing down blessings from my day has helped me to see that God is always there. Even in the storms, when He feels far away, He is always with us. Looking for those moments helps us to trust Him, and hold tightly to Him, even when we are facing a battle. And that trust makes it possible to give thanks in all circumstances.
Next week I will wrap up Jehoshaphat’s story with all that we learned, as we have touched on many topics over the past couple of months. So stay tuned for one more post pertaining to this story.
Please continue to pray for my family. Prayers are much needed and appreciated. And please share your prayer requests as well. (Either in the comments or email me at bridget@bridgetathomas.com.)
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a gratitude-filled weekend!
© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Prayer Request
Dear Friends,
My family needs prayer. I can’t share the details, but God knows what they are. Sometimes life can be really hard. But no matter what we are facing, I believe God hears our prayers. Thank you!
If you have any special prayer requests, please let me know. You can comment or you can email me at bridget@bridgetathomas.com.
God bless you all 🤍
Jehoshaphat’s Story – Victory and Blessing
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah [blessing] to this day.
– 2 Chronicles 20:22-26
We are continuing in Jehoshaphat’s story found in 2 Chronicles 20. In the last post, we saw the men marching off to battle, while praising God. Today the verses we are focusing on continue to show us the power of praise.
As Jehoshaphat and his men were singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes for the vast army that was coming against them. Is it possible that their praises helped set this scene? When we praise God in tough situations, we are surrendering everything to Him. We are telling Him that we trust Him to handle our problems. We are acknowledging His power to save us.
God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways
Next we read that when Jehoshaphat and his men arrived on the scene, everyone was already dead! They had all killed each other. The army of Judah didn’t have to lift a finger.
A few weeks ago we read where God told the nation, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” ( v 17)
Even after hearing these words, did the people still think they would have to join in battle? Perhaps they assumed they had to fight, but God would give them the victory? Or maybe they thought the vast army would change their minds and want to resolve peaceably? There could have been a number of possibilities running through their minds.
However, could any of them have imagined this outcome? Only God could orchestrate something like this!
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. – Psalm 98:1 NKJV
As human beings, we often obsess over our difficulties. Over and over in our minds, the situation keeps turning, like a hamster on his wheel. We try to imagine different outcomes. We wonder how God will work everything out. But it is not our job to figure it out. It is our job to trust Him and let Him figure it out.
Then when we do see victory or breakthrough in our lives, in many cases it will look completely different from the way we imagined it would go.
As it says in Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Everything about Jesus’ life is an example of how God shows up in ways that our human minds can’t fathom. His ordinary parents and His inconvenient birth in Bethlehem. God in a human body, with us on earth. He came hundreds of years after He was promised. When Jesus grew older, His own family thought He lost His mind. The religious folks continually pointed fingers at everything He did “wrong.” He walked in a radical new way – the way of love. When some believed He was the Messiah, they thought He would become their earthly king. They couldn’t understand what was happening when He was nailed to a cross. This wasn’t how things should go. How can He save the world when He was dead? But everything about Jesus, His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection was part of the plan. Our human minds wouldn’t have imagined being saved this way. Yet with God’s amazing grace, we were.
And thanks to Jesus, the ultimate victory has already been won. He has overcome satan, sin, and death. We have an eternity in heaven to look forward to.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV
Unexpected Blessing
In the verses above, it goes on to say that Jehoshaphat and his men took away all the plunder left over from the other armies. There was so much, it took them three days to gather all of it.
What an unexpected blessing! And isn’t that just like our God. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God will do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (KJV)
I believe that when we learn to trust the Lord and follow His ways, this path brings unexpected blessings into our lives. In Jehoshaphat’s story, they trusted God with the outcome of this battle. They believed He would help them win. They obeyed when God told them to “March down against [the vast army] … Take up your positions … Go out to face them.”
If they had not trusted, believed, and obeyed would they have received this unexpected blessing?
God is a giver. He wants to bless His children. But we have to do our part and walk in alignment with His will.
In Luke 11:28 Jesus told us that blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.
In the words of Dr. Charles Stanley, “When you choose to obey the Lord, he will bless you. This is because obedience always leads to blessing.”
The night before His death, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was in anguish knowing what He would face. He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (See Matthew 26:36-46) Despite how unbelievably difficult it would be, Jesus followed through anyway. He was obedient to God’s plan, even though it meant unspeakable pain for Himself. As a result, this brought unimaginable blessing for all who would receive Him.
No matter what we are facing, we too can say, “Thy will be done.” When we have a close relationship with Almighty God, we know there is no safer place to be, and we can trust Him.
Obedience isn’t always easy. But it’s always worth it. In the end, we will find that God’s path was better than any we could have mapped out for ourselves.
For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. – Psalm 84:11 NLT
Jehoshaphat wasn’t a perfect man. No one is. But he had a heart for God. And that is the important thing. He wanted to follow the Lord, by listening and obeying. He was quick to seek God’s will and follow through. And in this story we see that his actions reaped a reward.
Whatever you might be facing today, perhaps you can’t imagine how God might come through with a victory. Perhaps you can’t yet see how an unexpected blessing will come from your story. I know when we are in the thick of it, looking ahead isn’t always easy. But God is beside you. If you keep your focus on Him, and follow His lead, He will get you to the finish line.
Remember these truths: God’s purpose cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2), God acts on the behalf of those who wait for Him (Isaiah 64:4), and God works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a victorious and blessed weekend.
© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Jehoshaphat’s Story – Praise
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 20:21
We are continuing in Jehoshaphat’s story. Last week we talked about the men of Judah putting on armor before heading towards a battle. And we also talked about how we too should put on our spiritual armor each day.
Jehoshaphat’s story shows us that praise is an important part of our walk with God – whether we are facing something difficult or not.
At this point in the story, Jehoshaphat and his army are marching to face the battle ahead of them. Picturing this, I imagine a quiet group, as each person entertained fears in their minds. Although God gave them a word of encouragement, did they still wonder how things would turn out? Did they still worry?
In verse 21, we see that instead they are praising the Lord! What an amazing scene. This is an exquisite example of placing trust and faith in God Almighty. They did not allow their worries to take over. Instead, they praised God as they marched towards a potential battle.
We should praise the Lord for all that He is. Even if He did nothing for us, He is worthy of our praise. But the fact is that the Lord has done so much for us. What Jesus did on the cross deserves our praise. And God blesses us each and every day. These blessings should also inspire praise.
I know that life can be hard sometimes. But we can still be intentional about looking around for the blessings in our lives. We can always find something to praise God for.
In our own lives, it might seem easier to praise God when everything is going well. However, in this scene with Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah, God hadn’t actually done anything yet. He did give the people a word of encouragement. But the people have not yet seen how this battle would end. They are praising God in advance. They are trusting and believing that He will see them through.
This is so powerful to me. Too often we clench our fists around our fears and worries. We can’t seem to let them go. But if we hand our fears and worries over to God, and instead hold onto praise, this will bring peace and joy to our hearts.
The Power of Praise
There is an amazing story of praise found in Acts 16:16-40 that I always enjoy reading. Paul and Silas were in Philippi, spreading the Good News about Jesus. Yet suddenly one day, they were wrongly accused of causing trouble.
Luke, the author of the book of Acts, wrote in verses 16-18, “We were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the spirit left her.”
The owners of this slave were not pleased because she was a source of income for them, and now the well had run dry. So they dragged Paul and Silas to the authorities and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” (verses 20-21)
As a result, Paul and Silas were severely beaten and locked in prison. In this situation, many of us would feel frustrated and discouraged, to say the least. But some astonishing things unfold as this story continues. It says in verses 25-26, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”
First, how incredible it is that Paul and Silas were singing hymns in this situation. We can imagine they were both experiencing physical pain due to the flogging they’d received earlier. And we would assume they were also in emotional pain, due to their circumstances. But instead of allowing this to bring them down, they sang praises to the Lord.
I also love that “the other prisoners were listening to them” as they prayed and sang. Perhaps in the midst of despair, Paul and Silas managed to bring a bit of hope and encouragement to the lost and suffering inmates.
Next we read that there was a great earthquake. Not only did it rock the prison, not only did the prison doors open, but the chains on the prisoners came free as well. This had to be God.
But the story doesn’t end there. When the jailor realized what happened, he assumed the prisoners had all escaped. This would mean punishment for him, so his first thought was to kill himself. Paul quickly stopped him by letting him know that all the prisoners were still there. The jailor rushed towards Paul and Silas, asking, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas told the man about Jesus. In the middle of the night, the jailor and his household were saved and baptized. How remarkable it is to read how God turned this situation around.
One thing I especially want us to take away from this story was how Paul and Silas praised the Lord, even in the midst of a difficulty. I think this shows their full trust in God, despite their circumstances. They believed that God works all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
I wonder – would the earthquake have occurred if they had not praised God? Would the jailor and his family been saved if they had not praised God? Many things could have gone differently in this story. This powerful act of praise helped transform not only outcomes, but hearts as well.
It is important to praise God in the midst of our battles, because the enemy hates our praises and it makes him flee. As Martin Luther put it, “The devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God….Music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful.”
One day not too long ago I was feeling stressed. It had been a while since I turned on my play list on my phone and sang along. On this day I decided I needed a little boost. After a few songs, I felt so much lighter. I thought to myself, I really needed this. It’s funny because I know how much praise helps our hearts. Yet it is still so easy to neglect these little daily practices that help anchor us.
Ways to Praise
How do we praise God? There are many ways we can praise Him. I will use Jehoshaphat’s story to touch on a few of them.
Our English translation limits us when it comes to different words in the Bible. And praise is one of those words. The original Hebrew (which is what the Old Testament was written in) has several words for praise. And they each can portray praise in different forms.
We have been focused on verse 21 for today’s post. But the word praise is used several times in Jehoshaphat’s story. So we will touch on some other verses here as well.
In the NIV translation of verse 21 we see the word praise once. (I have the NIV at the top of this post.) However, in the KJV, we see the word praise twice. The KJV of verse 21 says, “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
In the original Hebrew, the first time we see praise, it is the word “hālal.” According to Strong’s definition, this can mean to shine, to boast, to rave. We can praise God by boasting and raving about Him.
And the second time we see praise in verse 21, it is the word “yāḏâh.” According to Strong’s, this can mean to revere or worship with extended hands. We can raise our hands during worship. 🙌
Verse 22 we will touch on next week, but it also has the word praise. This verse starts off with, “As they began to sing and praise…”
Here the word praise is the Hebrew word “tᵊhillâ.” According to Strong’s this means a hymn. We can praise God by singing hymns.
Verse 26 is also a verse we will touch on in a future post. It contains the word praise as well. In this verse, the word praise comes from the Hebrew word “bāraḵ” which means to kneel. When we praise God we can kneel in reverence.
These are just a few of the ways we see the word praise in the Old Testament. There are at least three more Hebrew words for praise that are not reflected in Jehoshaphat’s story. If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend the book Holy Roar: 7 Words That Will Change the Way You Worship by Chris Tomlin and Darren Whitehead. The authors talk about seven Hebrew words (including the ones I touched on here) found in the Old Testament that are used to express praise in different forms. And one of my favorite praise and worship singers, Chris Tomlin, shares a story about one of his songs for each of the words. It’s really an eye-opening and inspiring book.
In Jehoshaphat’s story, I am in awe of the way they praised God while marching towards a battle. I hope no matter what we face in our lives, we too can learn to praise God. Even in the midst of a storm. Praise has the power to transform our circumstances. And praise also miraculously changes our hearts. We can face difficult situations with peace when we make praise a daily practice.
Don’t just take my word for it. I hope you will try adding praise into your day as well.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a praise-filled weekend! 😁
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Bridget A. Thomas 