The Power of Praise-Comfort Through Praise by Martin Wiles

Series: The Power of Praise

The changing seasons sickened my wife-literally. Her journey started with the normal symptoms-sneezing, coughing and a scratchy throat, but had quickly developed into swollen glands, a severe sore throat, fever, and coughing. She needed to see a doctor, but we had no health insurance and couldn’t afford the visit.

Three days earlier…“Will you preach for me Sunday night,” the preacher piped as we ate dinner. I quickly answered “Yes,” never imagining I would need the exact compensation for my wife’s medicine and lost time at work. God orchestrated a set of circumstances ahead of time to help us carry our financial burden. Our pastor was oblivious that he was being used as God’s instrument. When I glanced at the finished puzzle, I praised God for his comfort through our financial knot.

David worshipped a God with shoulders broad enough to carry the world’s weight. The LORD lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads (Psalm 146:8 NLT).

Burdens have a way of bending our backs and souls, making it extremely difficult to stand erect. Remaining upright under physical, emotional and spiritual weights is taxing and can affect our mind, will and emotions. But wrangling with whether or not God issued the burden shouldn’t necessarily be our main concern. Unless we’re wallowing in unconfessed sin, his aim is never to cause us misery and pain but to grow our faith so we’ll turn to him for comfort regardless of our situations. No person, substance or item can bring satisfactory consolation when life’s burdens weigh us down. Through acts of praise, we demonstrate our reliance on God for the peace and strength we need. Let life’s undesirable circumstances teach you to praise God for his sustaining comfort.

Prayer: Eternal God, when the pressures of life cause us to doubt and fret, remind us there is no burden You can’t help us bear when we trust You by faith.