Tears fell down my face as I worshiped Him through song.

Just a couple of days before, I had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Surgery had been scheduled for a few weeks away. Life as I knew it had changed with a doctor’s visit. Yet, as the song “Behold the Lamb” played on, my heart was filled with peace, gratitude and thanksgiving.

No, nothing had changed around me. We were still trying to figure out how we would manage without my income for over a month while recovering from surgery.

We were still trying to help our children understand and not be fearful because mommy had cancer.

And, yes, I had moments when I felt scared. But in the midst of it all, I found something new: A new song of praise. And I am not talking about the beautiful melody that was playing on the speakers that day. I am talking about a shift in the praise paradigm as I knew it.

For the first time in my life, I understood, deep down in my soul, what praise is really about. And I would never be the same.

It’s easy to praise God when life is beautiful.

When we have money, secure relationships and health, we usually find ourselves grinning from ear to ear and praising Him all day.

And then… there comes a valley; a deep, dark one. We instinctively find it hard to continue our songs of praise. That’s just, well, normal human nature. It is indeed hard to praise God in the face of our troubles. It takes work. It takes diligence. It takes faith to see past our predicaments and into the immutability of a loving God.

It is indeed hard to praise God in the face of our troubles. It takes work. It takes diligence. It takes faith to see past our predicaments and into the immutability of a loving God. #trustGod #TuesdayMotivation #RechargeWednesday
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A New Paradigm

If we are able to move our eyes from our ever-changing circumstances and fix them on the unchanging nature of our God, we change our praise paradigm from focusing on what God does to who God is. We change it from focusing on that which continually changes to the One who never does.

Instead of dwelling on the hardship of unemployment, we fix our eyes on the promises of Jehovah Jireh, the Provider. Instead of focusing on the dread of cancer or any other physical illness, we worship Jehovah Rapha, the Healer. Instead of looking at our uncertainties, we fix our eyes on God’s attributes, which never change and never will.

If we are able to move our eyes from our ever-changing circumstances and fix them on the unchanging nature of our God, we change our praise paradigm from focusing on what God does to who God is. #trustGod #TuesdayMotivation…
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We start worshiping…

Yahweh… the All-Knowing God – Who knows exactly what is happening to you. (Job 37:16)

Yahweh… the All-Loving God – Who loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you. As a loving Father, He will uphold you in the dark hour. (1 John 4:8)

Yahweh… the All-Powerful God – the One who spoke the stars into existence is more than able to mend your broken life. (Genesis 18:14)

Yahweh… the All-Present God – He is there for you when everyone else leaves. (Deuteronomy31:6)

Yahweh… the Sovereign God – who rules all creation and therefore knows what is best for us, even though we don’t always understand. (Isaiah 40:21-23)

Yahweh… The Holy God – who wishes to reveal to us flaws in our character that need to be changed… sins in our lives that need to go. It is through the fire that these impurities come to surface… that we may be molded, renewed, re-done. For His glory and our good. (Leviticus 20:26)

2012 was a year filled with long, dark valleys. So was 2020 to so many of us.

My husband and I often mentioned that we would happily bid 2012 goodbye when December 31 finally came. And so we did. Among other things, that was the year when we faced trials with cancer and the tragic death of my brother-in-law.

As I look back, however, as hard as that year was, the joy of finding stronger faith far surpassed the pain that these valleys brought along.

We witnessed God at work like never before. We sensed His presence and found the joy of worshiping Him “in spite of”. We learned to worship Him for who He is and therefore found an incredible peace in the midst of each storm. All because we have learned to shift the object of our praise from God’s gifts to God alone.

Shifting the praise paradigm = learning to change the object of our praise from God’s gifts to God alone. #trustGod #TuesdayMotivation #RechargeWednesday
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Maybe 2020 was to you like 2012 was to me. And maybe the challenges have not changed at the dawn of this New Year. Maybe they have only intensified.

If that is the case for you today, it is only natural that f you find yourself having a hard time worshiping, weighed down by heavy burdens that threaten to steal your peace. If so, try praying for a shift in your praise paradigm: A re-focus on the object of your praise: from the gift… to the Giver.

Gifts, happiness and peace are so very fleeting. But the Giver, Sustainer, and Peace Maker is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebbrews 13:8)

May His Presence overwhelm you in the midst of the storm.

May you know the peace that surpasses all understanding as you lean on Jesus to be your all.

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It was a Sunday afternoon after church, December 2004, when my oldest son, a freshman in college at the time, walked in the front door, through the kitchen, into the family room and emptied his pockets of his most prized possessions, laying them gently on his daddy’s chest.

The weight of my son’s wallet, checkbook and car keys woke my napping husband. As if innately ready for turbulent air, he pulled his “dad” recliner to its upright position.

“What’s this?” he inquired, looking at the bundle of goodies on his chest.

My husband who we refer to as Big David when lil David is around (I told him having the same name would be confusing one day), always told the boys if they blew it, (meaning if they weren’t responsible with what had been given them) their car, and their money would go back to the original owner. Him.

With a sheepish chuckle lil David humbly mumbled, “I got my grades.”

I’m not sure what Big David was feeling, but for me, call me a pessimist, but I knew in the pit of stomach what was coming next was not good.

Lil David had just finished his first semester at Auburn University. I talked to him on a weekly basis and every time I asked him how it was going, he answered.

“Everything’s good mom.”

“You’re sure?” I’d say.

“Yes ma’am.” he’d answer.

And like a big dummy, I believed him. This day would prove to crush my naive reality.

His dad went on to ask him, “So what did you make son?“

With another uncomfortable chuckle Lil David snorted, “Uh, .5.”

His Dad responds, “You mean a 1.5?”

“No sir, you heard me right, a point five.”

I thought, Jesus was a commin’ any minute because this was surely the end of life as we knew it!

Everything was pretty much a blur after that. I was in full-on panic mode. Thoughts went racing through my mind.

Surely this cannot be happening.

This is not what I expected

This was not what I imagined.

This is not what I had planned.

What will he do?

What will we tell people?

What will they think?

This is not ideal.

This was not one bit of MY ideal.

And it wasn’t. I had made big plans as to how my son’s life would run or should run and this wasn’t it.

Nope, it was more like:

He would go to Auburn, get his degree and pilots license. Meet some nice Christian girl (who would just happen to adore me) with a degree and a good job. They would get married. He would secure a job with an airline and we would forever fly anywhere and everywhere for free. Package deal with a big whopping bow on top.

Yep, that about sums it up.

How often do our realities get crushed because we make plans without considering the plans God has for us and those closest to us?

We often have ideals that simply aren’t real.

And when we think this way we set ourselves up for disappointment with our kids, with our spouses, careers and life.

Sure it’s good to set goals—for ourselves that is. But making goals for our children or spouses sets us up and them for failure.

It’s okay to tell God our ideas and ideals as long as we finish with, Lord, but Your will and plans are perfect. May it be done as you think best.

And then stand back baby and watch Him work!

I finally did.

My son didn’t take what I thought should be the traditional path. He took a better path with a detour…or two in between. But those redirects took him exactly where God wanted him to be.

An Air Force career and two degrees later, he has his dream wife and a new dream job. And a whole bunch of learned wisdom he might have not garnered otherwise.

Which was probably God’s ideal for him. Much better than mine I might add.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

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