All I have to Give is Praise!

Living through Foggy Days

Have you ever been in a situation where, proverbially speaking, you would not be able to see your hand if it were placed in front of your face? You ask, “Do I turn to the left or should I turn to the right?” Or perhaps you are contending with a relationship issue that leaves you just struggling to gasp for air.

And yet, God seems to remain silent.

Does He see?

Does He care?

Such foggy days come and go during our lifetimes. They are never easy, yet the Bible does give us advice on how to tackle such days.

The World’s Strategy

The world would say to us that God is distant, uncaring of what we are personally dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

In 1990, Bette Midler’s Grammy award-winning song entitled, “From a Distance (God is Watching Us)” really encapsulates the outlook of so many as we think of Who God is and how He functions in our world.

The World’s Advice:

• Hunker down,
• Dig deep
• Get yours and You do you!
• Set a goal.
• And seek to achieve your ultimate dream.

The world’s message is that God lives His life at a distance, untouched by our personal concerns or struggles. Therefore, you need to make it through these foggy days alone. But you are a survivor!

How does God describe Himself?

If the world seeks to describe who God is and how He functions in the world, then a question you might have is “How does God describe Himself?”

What names does He reveal about Himself to us that gives a richer definition of Who He Is?

He says, I am El Roi, the God who sees. I am El Shaddai, God Almighty. I am Yahweh, I AM which is found in Ex. 34. Here He also describes Himself as the compassionate and gracious God, who is slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness.

You can read these descriptors and so many more and yet, you can struggle to sometimes truly believe these truths.

Instead, that deafening silence can sometimes cascade over you and the fog can seem thick. The “giants” of our lives can loom over us making us stand immobilized as to what action to take, for fear it will be the wrong choice.

But is this really how God designed for us to walk through these inevitable dark spots?

God’s Strategy for Israel

After wandering for 40 years in the wilderness, Israel was allowed to proceed into the Promised Land and take back the land God had provided for them. How did God instruct Joshua to go forward?

What military techniques did God require of these people who were now all 59 yrs and Younger as a result of their sin? (except for Caleb and Joshua) They didn’t really have Any warfare experience! How did God command them to proceed into this venture of conquering a walled city called Jericho?

God’s command to Joshua did not include: 

• Ambushes of luring the enemy out of the city.
• Sieges to cause famine inside of the city
• Scaling the walls to penetrate through the walled city

God’s command was simple.

• Take the Ark of the Covenant, this sacred box that I had you build to represent what you will find in Heaven, and
• along with my anointed priests and their instruments of music,
• walk around this strong, walled city each day, singing.

Singing

Just singing to Me

Praise me

Worship me &

Remember all that I have done to bring you this far 

These young Israelites did not have enough military prowess to conquer this impenetrable walled city, as well as, those cities that were to follow. They hadn’t studied war from infancy, or even had the military devices needed to ferciously defeat warring people groups.

But what they did have were hearts that had been turned to the One True God.

They had seen Him move and some of the older ones had even watched as He conquered an entire nation on their behalf. 

What did they have to bring to the table in this conflict? Their praise. That’s it. Nothing more. 

Jesus’ Strategy for His Disciples

In Luke 8 you can read about how Jesus was in a boat with his disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. After a long day, Jesus had fallen asleep and a huge storm arose on the water. These experienced fishermen, who had grown up on this very sea and had seen many a strong gale, violently rowed and tried to solve this life-threatening problem to the best of their ability.

But they couldn’t.

That’s when they woke Jesus up and He calmed that raging storm. Christ’s response to the men? “Where is your faith?”

Does God have a Strategy for Us?

In our darker moments, there will be days where the fog rolls over our lives so thick and dense. You might even be convinced that God is distant and unaware of the struggles you are dealing with.

But this is not true.

The God who created you is intimately engaged in every facet of your wrestling. He sees the issues at hand. He’s aware of the weariness you are dealing with. But He is also gently whispering to you to look at Him. Just like He did to His disciples.

He says, “Who Am I?”

Quote back to yourself those rusty verses you learned so long ago and start repeating back to yourself the truths of Who God is.

As those verses begin rolling off of your tongue you might possibly find that those truths become a forceful song of praise that reaches to the heavens!

Lifting Our Hearts and Voices to Him

Does God have a strategy for us as we face our foggy days, where battles loom and war cries pierce the night?

Yes, He does.

• It begins with stopping.
• Believing His Truth found in the Scriptures.
• And lifting our hearts and voices in praise and worship to the One who’s light penetrates the darkness and guides us forward with a strong right hand.

What do you and I have to bring to the table in our inevitable conflicts?

Our praise.

That’s it. Nothing more. 

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:17-19