“I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.” Psalm 145:1-7
As I was finishing a run recently, I was overcome with the urge to glorify God. As I pondered His glory, I had to check my soul to make sure it wasn’t merely an emotional high. After all, it was a beautiful day and I had just completed my first good run in a long time. Thankfully, while the weather and my mood may have been contributing factors, upon reflection, they were minor ones as I truly just needed to praise God. However, my contemplation led me to consider how easy it is to glorify God when the sun is shining and things to seem to be going well, but what about the dark and cloudy days or when times are tough?
To answer this question, we should first consider why we glorify our Heavenly Father. Psalm 145 starts the list with God’s: unsearchable greatness, majesty, goodness and righteousness. Psalm 63:3 adds lovingkindness. Romans 11:33-36 talks of His wisdom, knowledge, judgements and unfathomable ways. Isaiah 25:1, Psalm 115:1 and 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 speak of our Lord’s victory, dominion, power, love and perfect faithfulness. Frequently, throughout scripture we are called to glorify our Creator for what He has formed out of nothing or the power His speech holds. God Himself gives us reason to glorify Him as He passes before Moses saying: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7) While this is not an exhaustive list, it shows that we glorify God for who He is (Creator, Sovereign, and Lord of all); His attributes such was wisdom, power, and truth; His character which is faithful, gracious loving and just; as well as for what He provides and accomplishes around, for, in and through us. Everything about our awesome God should call us to fall to our knees glorifying and praising Him for He is truly glorious.
Our emotions regularly rise and fall with our circumstances, but Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to rejoice and be thankful in all of our circumstances for they are God’s will for us. While we may be overcome with grief or frustration in trying situations, God is still the same God and our souls should still rejoice in God our Savior. Is that not the sentiment of Habakkuk 3:17-18 which states: “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” It is also the attitude of David in Psalm 34 when he says “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Glorifying God as a form of thanksgiving when things are going well and we feel good is wonderful, but glorifying God and praising Him when times are dark is a statement of faith, hope and trust. God is just as glorious in seasons of difficulty as He is when life is pleasant. By recognizing and proclaiming His glory when we are frustrated or sorrowful, we allow His splendor to shine in our darkness and remind us who He is and what He has and will do for us. It reminds us that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19)
Certainly my run that day was a high point but there have been many frustrations and difficulties to overcome in the few weeks since that day. However, remembering that need to glorify God, is carrying me through some tough days and helping me to focus on all of those things that cause us to give our Lord the honor due Him rather that wallowing in self-pity or focusing on my inability to change my circumstances. Obviously, the answer to my original question is a resounding “yes”. Of course we should praise and glorify our God just as much when the rain is falling and times are tough as we do in the sun and times of gladness. Not only does it magnify our God, but it also lifts our souls and calls us to remember His promises and faithfulness.
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.
Will