Day 41: Bought For Us
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.” Proverbs 27:21
This verse seems so simple, but it got me thinking about how we respond to pressure and refining in our lives. I have too often responded to situations of conflict in my life with either fear or anger. I didn’t necessarily blame God, but I was so caught up in my thoughts about the struggles I was going through that I didn’t even talk with Him. I was too busy looking for a solution on my own to acknowledge Him. Either that, or I was so intently looking forward to the end of the difficult season that I wasn’t open to what God intended for me to receive in the midst of it.
Yet, there were other times when my circumstances were not good, but I felt Him pulling my heart towards praise. And as I praised Him for who He was, and thanked Him for His faithfulness to me, the state of my mind and soul shifted. Even though my situation did not change, the simple act of declaring who God was changed my entire perspective.
We once were bound to sin. We were slaves to fear. Yet, by the blood of Jesus, we have been given the option to praise instead. He bought us the freedom that comes from praise! I have been challenged to take Him up on the freedom he offers in times of hardship and testing. There is such an intimacy with God that is produced when we praise Him through the storms. Let us be a people that come out of the test like Paul and Silas did in Acts 16 -- singing.
Questions to Consider
How might you praise God in the midst of a difficult circumstance in your life? Is there someone else you can encourage in the midst of their hard time? I challenge you to encourage them today.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for purchasing our freedom on the cross, and for accompanying our freedom with praise. Teach me today to lift my soul to you in challenging times.
By Canaan Bacca, NU Student