“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you” Psalm 42:5-6 (NLT)
As followers of Jesus it is important that we develop helpful spiritual habits into our lives. Habits like daily Bible reading, prayer and meditation help us grow in our relationship with the Lord. One of the habits that God has been building in my life recently is the habit of praising God. I have found it to be incredibly helpful especially in times of discouragement and discontent.
One of the ways praising God has impacted me is by changing my perspective. Miriam-Webster defines "perspective" as "a mental view or prospect." Perspective is the lens which you view the circumstances of your life... your point of view. I've noticed that in times of discouragement and discontent, my point of view is focused on me; I'm viewing my circumstances through the lens of self, which only compounds and complicates my situation. When I intentionally praise God, my point of view changes; I become focused on God instead of myself and my problems.
Whatever we focus on becomes magnified. When we focus on ourselves, our circumstances or our problems, those things are magnified from our perspective. When we praise God, our focus changes from us to Him, and He is magnified. The Bible tells us this in Psalm 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving” (AMP). When we look at something with a magnifying glass, it gets bigger. When God gets bigger, our problems get smaller. Either your problems will be big or God will be big. It’s your choice.
The next time you find yourself being discouraged by your circumstances, or discontent with your life situation, change your focus; be intentional in praising God and watch your focus shift, and your perspective change. God and His goodness will grow larger, and your problems (and self-pity) will grow smaller!
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