I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. (Ps. 69:30)
I TOOK A SELF-DEFENSE class in which the instructor continually was saying that you have to use your attacker’s weight and aggression (or momentum) against him. He demonstrated what to do when an aggressor swings his arm down to either grab or hit you. He explained that the victim should simply deflect the aggressor’s arm with his arm and glide out of the attacker’s reach. This action buys precious seconds to launch into a second defensive move.
Life is like that—it continues to bring down blow after blow with what seems like immeasurable force. It hurts. It’s personal. It is an unyielding torment that breaks the human heart. But with the almighty God on our side, learning to deflect and glide with the attack is the first move in recovery. Second, getting His guidance to launch a counterattack is the difference between sustaining life’s blows versus succumbing to them. Thirdly, realizing God is always with us and deserves praise and thanks no matter the circumstances is what ultimately gets one through life’s attacks.
The psalmist was no different from any other person who has gone through trials and hardships. Longing for God to come to the rescue is human nature. God’s timing is not always the same as what we desire, but praising Him at all times . . . in good or bad situations guarantees a victory from the beginning to the end of the trial.
Deflect life’s harsh blows by praising and thanking God at all times.
Tammy Barnes Teeter is married and has 3 children and 2 grandchildren. She is an author, praise team director and works full time as a sales/engineering coordinator. She enjoys writing and ministering to others.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
