Turn One Of Those Days To Pra

Turn One Of Those Days To Pra 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.

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