
                TURN 'ONE OF THOSE DAYS' INTO PRAISE.
                           By Fiona Castle

.    Sometimes I don't feel like praying.  Sometimes I don't feel like
reading the Bible.  And sometimes I certainly don't feel a bit like
being loving and kind to anyone!
.    But I thank God that my faith is not based on feelings, but on
the sure and solid fact of Jesus' death for me on the cross.  In other
words, my salvation is not dependent on what I do for Jesus, but on
what he did for me.
.    There is a verse in Psalm 22 which says: 'Oh thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel.....' The modern translations are slightly
different but I like this version because it urges me to begin
praising God no matter how I feel - and he will inhabit those praises.
.    As I start to praise God as an act of the will, he begins to live
in my praise until my spirit starts to lift and the weariness
disappears.  My whole attitude to my prayer time changes, and my
praise comes from my heart, not just my lips!
.    It is good, sometimes, to begin a prayer time by reading a Psalm
of praise, such as Psalm 104, which ends with the words: 'I WILL
praise him, Hallelujah!'
.    I remember our pastor saying from the pulpit once: 'You can't say
Hallelujah with a long face!'  You try it!  It will make you begin to
laugh, especially if you say it in front of a mirror.
.    Jesus wants us to praise him no matter what happens.  That is the
wonderful privilege of belonging to him.  He has promised us a peace
and a joy that are not dependent on our circumstances - they stem
directly from our relationship with him.
.    So, if today is 'one of those days', when you don't feel like
being anything but negative, begin to praise Him and soon you will
find your mind and body are joining with your spirit as it soars
towards the Lord and brings joy to his heart.
.    'There I will go to the altar of God, my exceeding joy, and
praise him with my harp' - Psalm 43:4

Reproduced from 'Family' magazine (February 1985) with permission.

Computers for Christ - Chicago
