“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” - Job 1:20-21
How often do you sing? Daily? Weekly? Occasionally? I have to admit that I don't sing as much as I once did. Looking back, there were summer days when I would sit on the front porch swing and open a new Southern Gospel convention songbook, sight-read the music and sing brand new Gospel songs. I haven't done this in quiet some time. I used to sing a great deal when I drove. I still make positive use of my commute to and from work, but singing is not normally on the agenda. I need to get back to singing more often. Yes, I sing at church along with the congregation each time I'm at church, but I need to revive my private time of singing.
Singing should be more than a vocal exercise. Properly conducted, Christian singing should be offered as praise unto God. Praise, whether provided in song or words, is the process of vocally giving tribute and honor to God. You see, you can praise the Lord without singing and you can sing without praising the Lord. Praise is a means of adoration and reverence, issuing from a human heart. God is the target of this praise. He, alone, is worthy of such praise.
We tend to praise the Lord when things are going well. Problems and pain tends to suppress our singing. Yet God is good all the time. He is good on my good days and He is still good on my bad days. He is worthy of praise at all times. Every day is a good day to praise the Lord. Yet it is easy to say this when things are going well.
When I have bad days, I am reminded of Job. He had some really bad days. I find comfort in the fact that someone has been through worse conditions that I am going through. Consider the magnitude of Job's problems: Job lost his health, his wealth, his children and was mistreated by his wife and friends. To make things worse, when Job prayed, it didn't seem like God was answering. When Job needed him most, God didn't seem to be available. Can you identify with this?
After hearing that his children had been killed, the Bible says, “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Grief, pain and uncertainty had suddenly come upon Job. Yet Job was resolved to praise the Name of the Lord in spite of his circumstances. That is a valuable lesson for all of us to remember.
If you only praise God during the good times, you are robbing God of praise He deserves. The goodness and grace of God should prompt us to praise Him. The truth is that God never changes. Our circumstances may change. The weather constantly changes. People may change. The stock market rises and falls. Jobs may come and go. Good health can't be counted on. But God never changes. He is still great. He is still good. He is still worthy of praise.
When I consider all the Job suddenly lost, it makes me feel better about my bad days. Yet Job continued to pray, serve God and praise Him. His faith was under attack by the enemy. Yet Job stood firm. Yes, he had questions. He struggled. Job really suffered. His situation seemed unbearable. God's silence was the worst part of his situation. Yet Job was resolved to praise the Lord.
What about us? If your health is taken away, never to return, will you still praise the Lord? If your spouse leaves you, will you continue to serve God? If your friends turn against you, will you let it rob you of your song?
My father passed away in 2020. A year or so before his death, he was in the ICU at the hospital, struggling with pneumonia, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. We were visiting him on a Saturday evening. Knowing we were going to church the next day, he told us to praise the Lord at church. He said to praise the Lord even in the bad times. God blesses those who bless Him. Dad advised us that when things seem bleak, praise the Lord anyway.
That's what Job did. David did this, too. David wrote many of the psalms. Some of his psalms were written during times of uncertainty and despair. Paul & Silas praised the Lord as they were bleeding in a prison cell. It is always a good time to praise the Lord. Including right now.
Don't wait until you have a pain-free, care-free day. Praise the Lord today. He is worthy. You may find yourself being blessed in the process. Praise Him publicly. Praise Him privately. Worship Him alone.
Give your praise to an audience of One.
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