Anxiety, fear, loneliness and depression have risen drastically over the last few years. The Psalmists were no strangers to these emotions. However, they learned to unleash the extraordinary power of praise to overcome. Discover the secret to calm in these devotionals from the Psalms.
Moody Publishers
Day 1
Scripture: Psalms 27:1
Praising God Quiets our Fear
2020 felt like a dark year for many. COVID-19 ravished the globe. Many lost loved ones, jobs and homes. Life felt dark as we listened to news reports of racial injustice, riots, political polarization and mass shootings. Fear and anxiety rose in massive numbers.
The Psalmist, David, also lived through dark circumstances. His enemy was not a global pandemic but a ruling King who was jealous and tried to kill David many times. When David felt fear, He poured out his heart to God and then shifted his focus to praising God. We discover that pattern through the entirety of David’s life.
In your life and mine, fear is a natural response when life feels dark. Rather than denying our fear, God invites us to pour out our hearts before Him and then shift our focus to worship. As we praise God for His almighty character, the Holy Spirit quiets our fear and illumines our minds to understand the presence of God more fully. Praising God releases fresh faith that replaces doubt, renewed courage that replaces fear, and astonishing calm that replaces anxiety. The truth is, you simply can’t praise God and not be changed.
Selah – Pause and Reflect: Through the book of Psalms we see the word Selah which means to pause and reflect. Take a few moments to reflect and consider. When life feels dark what is your natural coping mechanism?
Prayer of Praise: Lord Jesus, I praise You that You are my light and my salvation. I praise You that when I feel afraid, You invite me to bring all my fear to your feet. Thank You that the darkness of my circumstances cannot overwhelm the light of Your glorious presence. I worship You as the Light that shines in the darkness. I praise You, that You are also my stronghold and safe place and that I can continually run to You. Even now, in this fearful time, Your presence surrounds me. I praise You for the confidence and courage that rises within me as I faithfully worship You. Lord God, You alone are worthy of all my praise.
Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?
Day 2
Scripture: Psalms 5:3
Praising God Strengthens Us While We Wait
The Psalmist David had to wait a long time for God to fulfill the promise of becoming King. Often during his years of waiting, David was also hiding for his life as King Saul chased him to kill him. Instead of walking away from his faith in God, David pressed in deeper even while he waited. At one point during his waiting David expressed his praise by saying, “In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3). That phrase “wait expectantly” speaks of confident hope. It wasn’t that David was inauthentic. Earlier, in Psalm 5, he sighs for the Lord to listen and consider his lament (Psalm 5:1). However, after he pours out his heart he shifts his focus to praising God that He will answer. As He praises, the Holy Spirit strengthens his heart with confident hope. That is the extraordinary power of praise.
As you wait for God to answer your prayers, follow the pattern. Pour out your heart to God in raw honesty, but then switch your focus to praising God. He will answer because He promises to answer. As the Holy God He always keeps His promises. As you continue to praise God even when He feels silent, the Holy Spirit will strengthen your heart with confident hope.
Selah – Pause and Reflect: Where in your life are you waiting for breakthrough? How might praising God for His character, strengthen your hope as you wait?
Prayer of Praise: Lord God, I praise You that You are good and holy. You are a God who always keeps His word. Thank You that You promised me that If I ask, You will answer (Matthew 7:7). I praise You that You always hear my voice and that I can trust You to keep all your promises (Psalm 5: 3, 2 Corinthians 1:20). Thank You that as I praise You today, You will fill my heart with confident hope.
Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, LORD you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
Day 3
Scripture: Psalms 34:18
Praising God Allows You to Vent Your Frustrations
There was a season in my life that felt very dark. Cancer left me completely exhausted. I wondered during that season, “Is it authentic to praise God when I feel this awful?” I mean, I hardly felt like jumping up and down and shouting, “Hallelujah, I have cancer!” As I studied the book of Psalms, I discovered that many of the Psalms were laments. A lamenting prayer is a prayer that is filled with questions, frustrations and doubts. What I discovered about the Psalmists is that they didn’t hold back with God. When they were frustrated, they expressed their feelings. Often their worship was their weeping (Psalm 42:3). At other times they vented all their anger to the Lord. For example, at one point in his life, David felt so frustrated that he prayed in Psalm 58:60, “Break the teeth in their mouths, O God!” I remember when I first read those words, thinking, “Are we allowed to pray that way?”
God desires your honest worship. If you’re frustrated, angry, or just sad, He invites you to bring those feelings to Him. Weep it all out before Him. Then, follow the example of the Psalmists. Shift your focus to praise. God promises to be close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed (Psalm 34:18). Praise and worship Him today that He keeps His promises.
Selah – Pause and Reflect: Do you feel like in order to be a “good Christian” you have to be happy all the time? When has God met you when you were in the thick of grieving?
Prayer of Praise: Lord Jesus, I praise You that You were a man of sorrows and very familiar with grief, when You walked this earth (Isaiah 53:3). Thank You that You see every tear I shed and You hear every angry word I mutter. I praise You that You invite me to be gut level honest with You with all of my feelings. Thank You, that as I pour out my sorrow in worship before You, You heal my broken heart. I praise You Lord that You comfort me as a loving compassionate Father. Thank You for being close when I cry. I worship You as the God of all compassion!
Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Day 4
Scripture: Psalms 16:5
Praising God Cultivates Contentment
It’s so easy in our current culture to moan and groan over what we lack. We compare our situation to our friends and feel as though they have life way better than we do. In our discontentment we begin to grumble and complain. David wrote that because the LORD was his shepherd he lacked nothing (Psalm 23:1). In another Psalm, he wrote, that the LORD alone was his portion and cup (Psalm 16:5).
What brought David to this place of deep abiding contentment? I believe it was his continual, on-going choice to praise God. When we compare and complain, we uproot our contentment. However, the opposite is also true. The more we praise and worship God, the more we become enamored with Him. The more we give Him thanks, the more thankful we become. The more we express our love to Him, the more we fall in love with Him. Gradually there is the realization that He – the all sufficient God – is enough. In fact, He’s more than enough! Then we are able to echo the words of David and with authenticity we are able to proclaim, “I lack nothing!”
Why don’t you try praising Him for fifteen minutes every day for the next five days. You can list character traits of His that you are thankful for. Or, you can use worship music to prompt your praise. How you do it doesn’t really matter. Try praising See what happens in your soul.
Selah – Pause and Reflect: Are you a person who is naturally prone towards comparing and complaining? What would it look like for you to be so satisfied with Jesus that you can say from a place of authenticity, “I lack nothing?”
Prayer of Praise: Holy One, I praise You that You are the all sufficient, all sustaining God. You lack nothing and you promise me that You will provide all I need. I worship You for being my portion and my provision. In You, I find peaceful contentment that passes all understanding because I realize that You are a generous and loving God. All that I need, I find in You. Thank You that I can relax and feel secure in You because You have everything under control. I praise and worship You as my holy, all sufficient God.
Psalm 16:5, “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.”
Day 5
Scripture: Psalms 18:46-49
Praising God Brings Victory
We have an enemy who wants to rob, steal, kill and destroy. He works overtime to rob our confidence and steal our passion. He is a liar and accuser. His name is Satan. However, God has given us weapons that we can use in warfare when Satan is hounding us. We can clobber the enemy with the Word of God and Praise. These two weapons, when combined crush will crush him under your feet. Here’s the thing, Satan is allergic to praise. When you feel him trying to defeat you or steal your confidence, start praising the name of Jesus Christ. As you exalt Jesus Christ for who He is, Satan will run like a coward.
This principle is seen in the story of Jehoshaphat leading the troops of Judah out to fight the enemies that were surrounding them. Instead of sending out the troops first, King Jehoshaphat sent out choirs who sang, “Give thanks to the LORD for his love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21). As the choirs sang, the LORD sent ambushes against the enemies and all were defeated. It is a powerful story illustrating how praising God defeats the enemy in our lives.
Selah – Pause and Reflect: In what area of life are you longing to see victory? (i.e. victory over anxiety, fear, addiction, food related issues..) What does it look like for you to praise God that the victory has already been won through Jesus Christ?
Prayer of Praise: Lord Jesus, I exalt You, because with Your help I get through any situation that feels insurmountable. By Your power darkness turns to light. Thank You, that when I feel fear, Your presence is with me. I praise You that You promise to lead me in victory as I trust in You. Father God, I thank You that through Christ I have victory in every situation. No weapon formed against me will prosper. I praise You, Lord Jesus, that today I can stand in Your victory.
Psalm 18:46-49, “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore I will praise You, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.”