30 Days of Praise-Day 16 Hebrews 13:15

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.

My heart hurts a little bit today. As with all of us, there are good days during a struggle or test of faith, and there are bad days. So, instead of turning to my own self-pity (which isn't much comfort anyway) or allowing myself to fall down a spiral of doubt, I am choosing to turn to the Lord and His truth.

I thought this verse was appropriate because it says that we are to "continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise." Meaning, we are not always going to FEEL like praising God, but we are to do so anyway. If our current circumstances are not conducive to naturally praising the Lord, we are sacrificing when we still continue to thank Him and recognize Him for who He is. We exercise our faith in this way, because we put our hope in the truth of God's promises rather than focusing on the temporary suffering we're enduring. He will work things out together for good for those who love Him, He does have plans for us, He does love us.

So "through Jesus" and His strength, love, and comfort, today I am uttering the deepest praise and gratitude for everything in my life-including the pain.