I Will Praise Him Anyway...Tuesday

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Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? How about one of those weeks, months, or even years? I’m sure we have all been there a time or two. It’s hard to praise God when you think He isn’t listening. Prayers go unanswered and you find yourself questioning everything, even your faith. After all, doesn’t it say that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed nothing is impossible? So, does this mean our faith is smaller than a mustard seed? There are many reasons why our prayers might go unanswered. When this happens, perhaps it is a good time to do a little self-evaluation. Just keep in mind that unanswered prayers don’t always mean we have done something wrong. Sometimes God has a plan, but He is waiting for the perfect time to reveal it to us.

Ecclesiastes 8:6 reads, 

“For there is a time and a way for everything, 

although man's trouble lies heavy on him”.

Troubles can indeed weigh heavily upon us even when we are faithful and patient. However, God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His timing and His ways are perfect. So, no matter how difficult the storm we must bear, we should always praise Him.

I read a story not long ago about a farmer and a donkey.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

The moral…..

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

When life throws dirt on you, as you shake it off and take a step up, don’t forget to praise our Holy God for His mercy and Grace. When things don’t go as planned and we feel like we can’t take any more pain, praise Him anyway. He is worthy of our praise.

Written by
Storm Hendrickson