Friday
Read: Psalm 145
SOAP: Psalm 145:2–3
Every day I will praise you. I will praise your name continually. The Lᴏʀᴅ is great and certainly worthy of praise. No one can fathom his greatness.
Devotion
There are so many things we experience that cause us pain. We long for healing, long for our brokenness to be restored, and we cry out to God in our pain. We’ve learned much about the practice of lament over the last four weeks. We’ve seen how God wants to hear our cries of pain. God wants us to share our hurt with Him. But He also desires our trust and our praise.
God is worthy of praise. He alone has saved us. He alone has redeemed us. And He alone continues to show us His loyal love.
Praise turns our focus from our situation to our God. Praise aligns our minds and hearts with the truth about God, about ourselves, and about our situation. As the psalmist says, “no one can fathom his greatness” (Psalm 145:3). We can praise what we know of His character and what we have seen Him do. We can declare His greatness over our circumstances, confident that no matter what we face, our God is always sovereign and in control.
How can you praise Him today? If praise seems too difficult, read aloud the psalmist’s declaration in Psalm 145. Declare His praise even if you do not feel like it. Praising God is not only an act of worship, it is an act of faith. When we declare His goodness regardless of what we are facing, we increase our faith in Him. Praise lifts our eyes to Him. It allows us to remember the remarkable acts of His faithfulness in our past so we can trust Him for remarkable acts of faithfulness in our future.
What has God done for you? In what specific ways have you seen His faithfulness? Praise Him for these things. Believe He will continue to show His faithfulness to you in the future. As we conclude our study, remember that lament is a practice. It is something we will continue to develop and discover throughout our lives of faith. Pouring out our hearts to God is an act of faith. Trusting Him turns our eyes back to His power and loving character. And declaring His praise is how we set our hearts at rest, believing that no matter what we face on earth, nothing can compare to the glory that is to come when we are with Him in eternity. Let all who live praise His holy name forever!