Beating the Blues

For no apparent reason I was feeling 'down' last night. It seemed I was such a failure in so many areas of my life: money, men, dieting. I took my eyes off Jesus for just one moment and all the cares of the world come crashing down. It can happen to any of us ... at any time.
Give Satan an inch and he'll take a mile, as the saying goes. He can turn even good things into despair. He is always lurking ... waiting for a minute of weakness to rob us of our joy.
I'm so glad that God gives us refreshment from sleep and a new outlook each morning. What a wonderful, dependable promise in Lamentations 3:22-23, "The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."
Today's devotion in Jesus Calling gave me this to think about: "I (God) can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different. Start with where you are at this point in time and space, accepting that this is where I intend you to be." What great news. God has put be where He wants me to be. I can thank Him for all the things he provides: a safe home, a reliable car, food to eat, friends who care, a wonderful church to attend, my precious pets, on and on, too many to name. God is good.
Psalm 42:11 asks, "Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for once again I will praise him, since his presence saves me and he is my God."
The blues can catch any of us unawares. But praise God that He won't leave us in our depression. If we look for Him, we will find Him anew every morning. Focusing again on Him and His power will beat those blues.

All of Heaven and all of Earth Praise Him

Today's devotion talks about the joy in praising God. Adoration of God comes in many forms: a child's prayer, a song, a sermon, a bird's flight, the earth's delight in the creator. I'm reminded of Psalm 148, that great song of praise. Christ said if the people did not worship God, then the very stones would cry out.
I'd like to share a wonderful demonstration of the reality of Psalm 148. Louis Giglio puts together the sound of pulsing stars with the songs of whales in a beautiful chorus of praise. If you haven't seen this video before, I encourage you to view it now.

http://youtu.be/7zWKm-LZWm4

Even though God has all of heaven and all of earth to give him glory, he still seeks your praise and thanksgiving. We have an opportunity to join in with the rest of creation to give him praise. Fill those spare moments of your day with a word of thanks or an offering of praise.