Yet, I WILL Praise Him!


     Often when we walk through valleys we become angry with God.  We ask—no, we angrily demand, “WHY?!”  Hopefully, if you are emotionally in this place, this will encourage you to use that anger constructively.  Just know that the anger and sadness you are feeling are temporary!  We walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps 23).  We do not “Stop and rest” there!  The hard times in our lives are roads we must travel.  They are NOT places where our traveling breaks down!
     There are many, MANY verses in the Bible full of encouragement.  Bearing in mind that God is big enough to handle anything we throw at Him—any question, and all our anger at Him—let me take a wild liberty and paraphrase some Bible verses for you.  Words that are all capitals are ones I have substituted in for similar phrases—I pray this will fire up your tenacity!  (Pardon my grammatical/editorial errors and omissions.  I’m trying to make this quick so I can get back to [other!] work!)
 

Joshua 22:5

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to FIERCELY SIEZE HOLD OF him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
 

Joshua 23:8

But you are to FIERCELY SIEZE HOLD OF the Lord your God, as you have until now.
 

2Thes 2:15a
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and FIERCELY SIEZE HOLD OF the teachings we passed on to you…
 

1 Co 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, FIERCELY SIEZE HOLD. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.


Proverbs 10: 25
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous FIERCELY SIEZE HOLD forever.


2 Chronicles 20:17
You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; FIERCELY SIEZE HOLD and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.
 

Finally, let me give you one other verse that has helped me in hard times:
 

Psalm 42: 11

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.


     I believe “I will yet praise Him,” can be taken at face value, but that sometimes in our lives we must WILL to praise Him!  We must make ourselves praise Him in SPITE of how we are feeling.

     So go forth.  Be FIERCE and FRIGHTENING in your tenacious grip on God and you will get through the valley!  You WILL SPITE the devil!  Let your anger fuel your energy to serve Him and you will eventually feel better!

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