Life has its ups and downs. We go through good times and bad times. Some times are really bad times. Those mind-bending, I can’t believe this nightmare is happening to me, this is the kind of stuff movies are made of type of bad times. Other times seem bad in the moment, but in retrospect we can say it wasn’t so bad.

If most of you are like me, my initial response when bad times hit is to begin to fret and despair. Worry. Doubt. Denial. Unbelief. Anxiety. Panic. All those things do their best to take over me. That is if I let them.

Many years ago after my baby was born (by the way, he’s in his twenties now), I suffered from postpartum depression. On top of that I wanted to be a stay-at-home mother. But we had too much debt, so I did not get my way. I despaired at having to return to work when my twelve weeks of maternity leave ended.

It was during the weeks before having to return to work that a colleague introduced me to the concept of praise. He suggested that I praise God. Sing songs to God. He told me to turn up the praise and worship music in my home and sing with abandon to our Lord. And to sing to Him in spite of how I felt.

Really? I thought this guy was way out there. This was a really new concept to me. No one ever taught me about praising God when things were not going my way. But I decided that since nothing else I tried had worked, why not?

So I turned on the music. Turned it up loud. (We lived in the country, so I didn’t have to worry about any complaints.) And I started singing.

As I tried to get the words out, tears poured down my face. I muttered the words as I really wouldn’t call it singing as I couldn’t keep up.

I felt such a release through crying and praising. Through that release, peace followed. As I continued this practice for the days, weeks, months, and years to follow, I realized it drew me closer to the Lord. I witnessed the Lord do amazing things and as a result my trust and faith grew in Him.

Now I wish I could tell you that since I learned this concept twenty years ago, that it has become my initial response. It isn’t. Choosing praise must be an intentional response.

Therefore, I keep praise Scriptures posted in each room of the house. I must be reminded to offer a sacrifice of praise because when challenges come at me, there is a side of me that would rather have a fit, worry, despair, and feel anxious. That is what our enemy, the devil, wants to happen to us.

And after learning that my son’s prison unit went on lockdown the week before Mother’s Day—again—now for six years in a row, I have had to be intentional about keeping my focus on the Lord through praising Him.

Only by seeking God and lifting up a voice of praise did the heaviness lift.

So what can praising God do?

  • It releases pent up emotions.
  • Draws us closer to the Lord.
  • Increases our trust and faith in Him.
  • Causes the enemy to flee.
  • Wards off negative emotions.
  • Allows peace to come into our lives.

We can choose to put on the garment of praise and cast off the spirit of despair.  (Based on Isaiah 61:3.)

How has praising God changed you?