Thrive: A Journey Through the PsalmsSample

Praise Through the Pressure

A few years back, I had an excellent job at the university and was among the top-paid employees. I was married to a beautiful wife and had two children. I had good friends, owned a car, and had built our family a house. God indeed blessed me, and I was grateful for all he was doing to develop my family. 

About four years later, the situation began to change drastically. The university I was working at did not renew my contract.  Thieves stole our family car from our compound one night, and a few months later, we had a home break-in where I lost my laptop, phone, and television. Amidst all these challenges, my family was breaking under all these pressures. 

I felt like all my earthly possessions that I had worked so hard for had been taken from me. I felt like only my eternal salvation remained.  This situation caused me to pray to God that I should never lose this.

It is easy to praise God when things are going well with us. Often we focus our praise on worldly things that perish, thanking God for our possessions, accomplishments, or status. Psalms 146 reminds us not to trust princes who cannot save but to rejoice in God, for He is the only one who can save. This Psalm prompts our hearts, souls, and minds to approach God with praise and thankfulness for his mercy and goodness. 

Daily Challenge

Do you tend to focus your thankfulness on the perishable gifts in your life? Even though it may be a hard truth, we know that we came with nothing in this world and will take nothing from it. (1 Timothy 6:7-12) We can accumulate wealth and accomplish many things, but only our salvation holds eternal value. How often do we praise God for his everlasting gift of salvation? When was the last time you remembered to rejoice and praise God for this eternal gift?