From Beside the Still Waters...
Anxiety and Praise - Read: Psalm 145
"Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever:" - Psalm 145:2
Our local newspaper has a daily column written by a doctor, and one day he had an article about anxiety disorders. This doctor said that 40 million Americans contend with chronic feelings of dread, or with irritability, insomnia, upset stomach, and a host of other issues. About the only remedy he offered was medication.
As Christians we know that worrying is based on a lack of trusting and thanking God in our everyday walk. Forms of the words trust and praise appear hundreds of times in the Bible, with many of these occurring in the Psalms. We have countless blessings to thank God for. We can have salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, and we can trust God for all our needs today, tomorrow, and forever. "Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).
Praising God is the antidote for every trouble. It relieves tension and drives away depression. When discouraged, praise God (Psalm 42:5). Praise Him with an upright heart (Psalm 32:11). We can lift up our hands in praise (Psalm 63:4). We can use our tongues to praise His righteousness (Psalm 35:28). Jesus gave a very simple antidote for anxiety and despair. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
There are cases of depression that have physical reasons. In these cases or in times of extreme stress, medication may be needed to help a person calm down and sleep, and to promote mental healing. But even with medication it will always help us to get our minds off our troubles and remember today's key verse. Let's bless God "every day" and praise His name "for ever and ever."
Sylvan Lapp - Atglen, PA
From Oasis of Hope...
Finding Peace and Comfort in His Hold
[Jesus Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 ESV
The puzzles of our lives sometimes seem jumbled. Pieces mix and shift on the puzzle mat. We lose patience, trying to force pieces to match. "Why is this puzzle so impossibly huge?" we might ask. Overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, and even angry, we want to sweep it off the table and quit. We can't understand how pieces fit because we can't see the intricacies of the big picture.
Our lives are types of puzzles. We have difficulty understanding how every detail can come together. The puzzles of our lives fit perfectly, from infinity past to future with no dimensions or boundaries of time or space. In all details of everything within any experience, today's suffering pieces somehow fit into the grand puzzle created before time began.
And Who is holding this puzzle together? Jesus Christ, our Savior. His hands hold the puzzle and embrace each piece of our life. His sovereign, wise, loving, powerful, and good hands hold our future. He's accomplishing His redemptive work as He brings together each detail. Our souls can find peace and comfort, not in knowing how the puzzle will look, but in the beauty of His finished plan when we dwell forever with Jesus in the new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).
We can trust Him with our today to be okay because we're in His hold. And one day, we'll see the whole puzzle worked out for His glory, vibrant in beautiful perfection.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 ESV)
We'll sing, "To the great One in Three, eternal praises be, hence evermore. His sovereign majesty may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore" ("Come, Thou Almighty King," author unknown).
We don't see the completed picture yet, but today, let's praise Jesus, finding peace and comfort as He holds all things together.
- Lauri Hogle
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