Praise be to God ALWAYS

If you were on my blog the other day you would have noticed that I am participating in ExtravagantGrace.net's 31 Days of Praising the Lord. My first post can be found HERE. 

Yesterday's assignment was to keep track for 24 hours of a Praise Inventory.

My results from keeping track of my praises for 24 hours is how quickly I forget my praises and before I know it I'm grumbling yet again. 

On my way to work yesterday morning I was a few inches away from getting by by a truck. As he speeds up and narrowly misses me, I let off the brake and slowly exhale a sigh of relief. And even in that my first reaction wasn't to exalt the Lord and praise him for his protection.

So often when a plane crashes or other tragic event takes place so many cry out and wonder where God was when it happened. But what we always ignore is the other thousands he holds up and protects. 

I do the same in my own life. He protects me in one moment and the next I'm stressed about  money or a big decision the next. I forget to Praise God for all the big and small things he does.

And I forget to Praise him when things don't go the way I would like. Praise shouldn't just come when he protects me from a car wreck. Praise should come from the big and the small things and Praise should come when things go "bad". But so often our view of what is "bad" is actually just an extremely narrow view of the entire grand scheme of God's plan. 

Praise should come when the House of your Dreams falls through. 

Praise should come when you lose that job. 

Praise should come when the car won't start in the morning.

We exist to bring glory to Him and to him alone. He directs all things that happen. 

He "knit us together in our Mother's whom" {Psalm 139:13}.

He foreknows and guides all things. 

So when the house of your dreams falls through...He has a plan. 

When the offer falls through, you may be bitterly disappointed. But what you don't realize at the time is a year later God will call you and your family to the mission field in China and we never think to Praise God in the moment that His plan for us will be better than even we can know. And sometimes the "better" is not financially or materially better for us but rather better for His Kingdom and His Glory.

Praise be to God Always. 

"Let all the earth fear the LORD; 

       let all the people of the world revere him.

 For he spoke, and it came to be; 

       he commanded, and it stood firm.

 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; 

       he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, 

       the purposes of his heart through all generations.

 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, 

       the people he chose for his inheritance.

 From heaven the LORD looks down 

       and sees all mankind;

 from his dwelling place he watches 

       all who live on earth-

 he who forms the hearts of all, 

       who considers everything they do.

 No king is saved by the size of his army; 

       no warrior escapes by his great strength.

 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; 

       despite all its great strength it cannot save.

  But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, 

       on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

  to deliver them from death 

       and keep them alive in famine.

  We wait in hope for the LORD; 

       he is our help and our shield.

  In him our hearts rejoice, 

       for we trust in his holy name.

  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, 

       even as we put our hope in you."

Psalm 33:8-22 {Emphasis Added}