Bless the Lord At All Times

“I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth,” (Psalm 34:1).

You can’t control the trials and tests that the Lord allows into your life but you can control your reaction to them.

Life is hard. Difficulties will arise. How you react to those difficulties speaks volumes about your spiritual maturity.

You can react by whining, complaining, and throwing a pity party or you can react by blessing the Lord. The choice is yours.

David wrote in Psalm 34 that he would bless the Lord at all times. ALL includes the good times as well as the bad times. ALL meant that David would bless the Lord in times of lack and in times of abundance.

Unfortunately, many people will only bless the Lord when times are good and they’re enjoying a season of abundance. The praise is contingent upon what they’re currently facing. Yet David said, “…His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” David purposed in his heart that he wouldn’t let his circumstances dictate his praise. David had a made-up mind to praise the Lord even when times were bad.

We need to have the same made-up mind.

“But how is that even possible, Aretha? You don’t know what I’m going through right now.”

I hear you.

I do!

Listen, I wasn’t always able to bless the Lord at all times either. I know what it’s like to want to bless or praise the Lord but being unable to because you feel weighed down by the trials and tests you’re going through. Learning to bless the Lord at all times takes time.

Here are three tips to helping you bless the Lord at all times:

Focus on Him
Read the Bible
Pray

Focus on Him

When we’re faced with trials, we tend to focus on that trial. Remember when Peter stepped out the boat onto the water? He walked on the water while he kept his focus on the Lord. However, he began to sink when he took his eyes off the Lord and started looking at the storm raging all around him.

If you want to bless the Lord at all times, I urge you to keep your eyes on the Lord and His attributes. Remember His grace, His mercy, and His power. Remember that He is able to do anything.

Read the Bible

Reading the Bible will help you remember His works. Remembering His works will increase your faith. When I’m facing a particularly tough trial, I go to the Old Testament and read about how God parted the Red Sea, closed the mouths of lions, and helped David defeat Goliath. Since God performed all those miracles, surely, He can deliver me from the situation I’m currently facing.

Make a point to read your bible as often as possible. It will fuel your faith and help you keep your trial in perspective: Your trial (your giant) isn’t bigger than God!

Pray

Isn’t it amazing how our trials have a way of speaking to us? They speak to our future, telling us all the bad things that are going to happen. Our trials never tell us that God is going to come through for us. Instead, they whisper lies saying that God has forgotten about us. Our trials tell us that we’re going to lose everything, that everyone is going to talk about us, that God doesn’t care.

Since our trials like to talk to us, it’s important that we talk to God in prayer. Taking all our issues to the Lord in prayer shows our faith. The bible tells us that we must not only believe in God but also believe that He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him (see Hebrews 11:6). Prayer, simple communication with God, shows our reliance and dependence upon Him. He wants us to tell Him about our problems – so make sure you take all of them to Him.

Focusing on the Lord, reading our bible, and praying are three ways to increase our faith so that we are able to bless the Lord at ALL times. God wants us to continually praise Him. He desires to come to our aid. He desires to show Himself mightily in our lives. He’s simply waiting on us to trust Him.

As you wait on the Lord to deliver you from the trial you’re facing, show Him you trust Him by blessing Him and praising His name NOW. You won’t regret it. He’s poised to bless you.

~Aretha