circumstances<\/em> (see Psalm 7:17).<\/p>\n\n\n\nReading the Psalms, I discovered praise is a decision of the will. Listen to Psalm 9:1-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee. I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving are a decision of the will, unrelated to circumstances. The decision: I will be glad and rejoice in the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a great Bible study. Read through the Psalms, making a list of every mention of the good things the Lord has done. You\u2019ll have a very long list to refer to when circumstances aren\u2019t favorable and you\u2019re struggling to find a reason to praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I made myself a \u201cGod is\u201d list, using the Psalms. He is my shield, my refuge, my stronghold, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my support, my Savior, my Redeemer\u2026and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can praise him for this, no matter what\u2019s happening\u2014or not happening\u2014in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We set our minds to rejoice in him<\/em>, even if we do it with a broken heart and tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPraise and thanksgiving build our confidence in awesome God, who is in absolute control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Psalm 150:6 says, \u201cLet every thing that hath breath praise the Lord\u2026\u201d Everything that has breath? That includes me. And there are no exclusion clauses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found my declaration of praise in Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easy for me to lose focus and live by feeling. For such times, I printed this reminder,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNothing but praise.\u201d I framed it and placed it on my desk to help me maintain an attitude of praise in hard places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we offer praise and thanksgiving today, we do it in our present circumstances. We don\u2019t wait until a future time when circumstances change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you don\u2019t feel like offering praise, remember Psalm 57:7. \u201cMy heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThings looked bleak but Habbakuk declared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall: Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places\u2026\u201d (Habbakuk 3:17-19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m learning to rejoice by sheer determination of the will\u2026because in hard places, I know God is doing something bigger than I can see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing to sing praise and give thanks, regardless of circumstances, is the fourth key to dispensing the sweet fragrance of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you made a decision to praise? Start with this declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord\u201d (Psalm 104:33-34).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d love to know your thoughts. Please leave a comment. And share this post with friends who might need encouragement today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a9 Dianne Barker 2018 (reprinted)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Praise the Lord? I hope you won\u2019t mind my being so transparent, but I don\u2019t always feel like praising the Lord. Sometimes circumstances don\u2019t encourage praise. I\u2019ve learned that even when circumstances aren\u2019t favorable, God is still worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. We praise him according to his righteousness, not our circumstances (see Psalm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[554,63,677,676,69,23],"class_list":["post-1543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-dianne-barkerr","tag-fragrance-of-christ","tag-praise-by-decision","tag-praise-when-you-dont-feel-like-it","tag-rejoice","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\n
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