Rev Bassey Ekong

Reasons to Praise God in Difficult Times

by Rev Bassey Ekong

Reasons To Praise God in Difficult Times KEY SCRIPTURES: 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 2 Chronicles 20:22-30; Hebrews 13:15-16 Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruits of our lips giving that openly profess His name. (thanks to His name)”

INTRODUCTION:

It is written, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18-19). Challenging times can be hard and when all chips are down, you tend to be broken and begin to doubt the existence of God. The situations can be so overwhelming that fear, pain, and doubt could become the order of the day. Questions with no definite answers come to mind and at a point, all will seem that there’s no hope or that God has forgotten about you.

Faith in God could be shaken to the lowest giving room for fear to set in, and crying and groaning can severely try the spirit. No living person can avoid difficult times completely, in this world, but you can take measures on what to do so that it won’t take away your faith in the supremacy of God. Please take note and understand that “Difficult times” don’t last but people going through it can last once they have reasons to have an unwavering faith that God will and can calm the storm of life in their lives.

 Praising God in difficult times is a good way of confusing the enemy to avoid rejoicing over you and reminding him that God is in control. When we praise God in difficult times, we develop strong faith and new hope that the moment will pass and that all things are working together for our good. God doesn’t forsake his own during difficult times. He will always provide an anchor to keep you and make your faith stronger in Him. God will always make a way for you even when there seems to be no way. He’s the way-maker.

You are valuable in God’s hand, and He will never allow temptations and trials that are too huge for you to overwhelm you. He will always provide a way of escape, but you must be ready to praise Him in all things. AS a Christian, you must believe in God’s promises when he said he will never leave or forsake you, and those promises will manifest during difficult times and good times when you faint not and you’re ready to hang onto Him no matter what.

Praising God in difficult times is a confession to God that we totally depend on Him no matter the outcomes of the trying times. Praising God during difficult times enables you to obtain wisdom and guidance on how to get out of the difficult times. Praise drives away the fear of the unknown from the heart and mind during difficult times and it is best for a believer to practice using effective praises as a weapon to fight difficult times.

Examples of some difficult times in this era in the world also include the covid-19 pandemic and all the confusions that have beset societies worldwide including all the fears and threats to lives and the uncertainties that accompany it. Scarcity and the inflation, artificial and natural, that we all are presently experiencing. Loss of lives caused by wars, such as is going on in Ukraine as we speak and due to hatred, discrimination, lack, and poverty. The fear of tomorrow that many are experiencing nowadays. Marital and family break-ups going on in the world. The insurgent persecution of the church of Jesus Christ going on in many parts of the world. And many problems too many to mention create difficult times for both believers and non-believers alike.

Let us begin now to look at some insightful reasons to praise God in difficult times.

GOD IS OUR CREATOR: Luke 12:7; Psalms 139:2 God is our creator, and he knows us even when we are in our mother’s womb. He knows everything about us and only Him can guide us in the way He wants us to go. Praising Him in difficult times helps us to draw closer to the whole essence of our existence and only He can give meaning to why we are passing through such a phase and provide wisdom and guidance on what to do to come out of it successfully. Praising God is very essential in difficult times in order not to miss the reason for such a phase.  

2. THE BIBLE COMMANDS IT: Psalms 150:6 God’s word; Bible commands that we should always praise God with a joyful and cheerful heart. When we praise God in difficult times, we are simply obeying the word of God and obedience gives birth to victory over the situation and all issues. Obeying God by praising Him makes the situation to be a thing of the past because we are already overcomers in Christ.

3. PRAISES ENABLES GOD TO FIGHT FOR YOU: 2 Chronicles 20:22 When Jehoshaphat, king of Israel was faced with difficult times that challenged his reign as king, he ended up praising God as he was instructed by God Himself, and with obedience, God granted him victory so that he didn’t even have to fight in the battle because God fought for him. As believers, when faced with difficult times, praising God invites Him to step in to fight the unseen forces working against you and once God steps in, victory is sure and guaranteed. 

4. PRAISES FACILITATES ACCESS TO GOD: Psalms 100:4 When you praise God in difficult times, it facilitates direct access to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace which will help you in trying times. Praises birth wisdom to go about the situation and guidance enables steps to take solutions to the difficult times in order to come out of it strong and safe. Praising God in difficult times makes us have better intimate communication with Him and to hear God’s voice.

5. PRAISES REFRESH AND RENEW THE SPIRIT: Psalms 28:7 Praising God in difficult times helps to refresh and renew your spirit in order not to be too overwhelmed with the situation at hand. Praising God facilitates the necessary help to conquer and be triumphant over difficult times and moments. Praises renew your spirit and strengthen you in difficult times because difficult times will pass for it is given to strengthen us in faith.

6. PRAISES PROMOTE PRODUCTIVITY: Psalms 17:5-6 Every time we praise God in difficult times, God uses the challenging times to stretch us to our maximum, thereby making our faith stronger in Him which helps us to be productive in all areas of life. Praise promotes life’s productivity because no matter the storm of life, there is an assurance that it will not kill you but rather make you stronger and deepen your relationship with God.

7. PRAISES CHASE AWAY DESPAIR AND GIVES VICTORY: Isaiah 61:3 Praising God in difficult times chases away despair which makes us stronger instead of wallowing in self-pity or dangerous depression. Praising God moves you away from thinking about the situation, being depressed or backsliding and brings you to a place of confidence, total dependence and greater belief that God is already handling the situation, and that everything will be alright at the end of the day. Despair is not present when praising God abounds. Praise chases away brooding too much on the situation and focusing on God.

 8. PRAISE IS AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON AGAINST THE DEVIL: Psalms 27:6 Praise is a weapon that is very effective in pushing back the forces of evil. It is also very effective in helping us to better focus on God in our quiet time with Him and in our daily lives.  Praise confuses the enemy and helps to defeat the devil during difficult times. Praise also helps us to know God in real and personal ways, rather than just know that God exists.

9. PRAISES GIVES GOD A GIFT AND AN OFFERING: Hebrews 13:15-16 Praising God in difficult times is a gift and offering to God and this will make Him work wonders because we have given him a sacrifice from our heart which is our best when we don’t even feel up to it. The more we praise God in difficult times, the more we share God’s unfailing love to others which enables them to witness such faithfulness from us.

10. PRAISES SHRINK THE CHALLENGES When you are facing challenging times, the challenges will begin to look bigger than God and fears begin to rule the heart because you are focusing more on the challenges but when you turn your heart to praising God in these challenging times, the problems begin to shrink, and it will give new perspective on the trials and full insight on how to convert them to blessings which God promises after the battles.

CONCLUSION Don’t be discouraged or overwhelmed thinking God is not involved during trying or difficult moments or times. Remember that all things work together for good to those who love God and work according to his purpose. His thoughts and plans are good and not evil to bring us to an expected end which is a brighter future in Christ Jesus. Praising and praying to God should be your daily practice as Christians no matter the situation or circumstance in order to have a deeper relationship with God to live a healthy Christian life.  

Pray these prayer points: 1). Oh Lord, I praise you for fighting the battles of my life in Jesus’ name

2). Oh Lord, I will praise You, in the midst of my trials, you are indeed the reason why I am happy
3). Oh Lord, I magnify your name and I acknowledge your greatness in Jesus’ name.

4). Oh Lord, I join the congregation of brethren to give praises to you for you have done great things in my life in Jesus’ name.

5). Oh Lord, I praise your name today because only the living can praise your name, the dead cannot praise you, in the mighty name of Jesus

It’s me, your prayer partner, Daniel-Joseph. May the Lord bless, favor and prosper you and your family and all your endeavors, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev Bassey Ekong, Dip Ed, BSc. Ed, B. Ed, M. Ed is an educator/teacher of science on the high school panel of the local board of education in the Ottawa-Carleton region. He’s a psychology of learning specialist. A scholar, always learning, a writer, teacher and trainer, adviser board of directors and pastor of the Light of the Nations ministry international, a non-denominational ministry with its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.