“Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

Life is really great right now. I’ve experienced some real joys and highs these past couple of weeks. I’ve gotten to spend time with family, buy a wedding dress, won a prestigious award for the work that I do at my job, and have felt really appreciated by the students that I work with. I feel really loved right now. There are so many wonderful things happening that I can’t help but smile when I think about it.

This is a great reminder that my joy points me to a joyful creator. God who is good and brings joy into my life. I can’t help, but give God praise for the good in my life right now. His faithfulness shows up in my life to affirm the work that God is doing in my life. I’m reaping the fruits of love, both in giving and receiving love.

It’s so easy and natural to thank God in the good times. When the sun is shining, there is a spring in my step, and everything is going right, I find it easy to trust and praise God. But praising God in all circumstances? Whoa. What? When times are rough like there isn’t enough money in my bank account or I find myself stressed out from a bad day at work, where is the praise on my lips to God for those days? Those days I see my true character and relationship with God. The questioning comes out, the trust is lacking, and I find myself relying on my abilities to get me through the storm. In those moments of weakness are the times when I need to praise God the most, in all circumstances. Despite what is going on in my life whether good or bad, I must praise God, I need to praise God, I want to praise God for all that he has given me and all that he has kept from me. He is orchestrating behind the scenes to build my maturity, my trust, my love for Him.

In my best and worst moments, I lift my hands up to praise God who has given me life, breath, a heartbeat, and a purpose. My purpose is to love God and love others. To praise the God of all creation, for He is good and His love endures forever. His love endures through the good and the bad days.

Whatever your day brings you, I encourage you to stop and praise God for what He has given you, the struggles He has brought you through, the opportunities for learning to trust Him more. God is good and His faithful love endures through your circumstances to bring you closer to Him. Praise brings joy!