Nothing we do earns God’s favor. You could put a million dollars in the offering plate and not buy it. But He makes Himself available to us all the time, and the right response is praise. In this Sunday message from March 19, 2023, Pastor Linda Reese taught from Psalm 118. Try thinking of one thing to praise God for, she said, and you’ll find you can’t stop at one.

When you are afraid

“I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me… The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:5-6, KJV). When you’re afraid, lift your eyes off the scary things and picture God on His throne, in complete control. He’s working behind the scenes on things we can’t see.

Why the righteous suffer

Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean a life of ease. We suffer because we live in an imperfect world with disease and accidents, because of our own mistakes (and God forgives those), because of persecution, and because of the enemy’s attacks. Some suffering can be avoided by listening to God and taking care of our bodies.

People like to say God won’t give you more than you can bear. Read the end of that verse: God “will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). And He doesn’t help just once. Every deliverance grows your faith for the next time.

This is the day

“The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner” (118:22). Israel rejected Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead and made His death the sacrifice for our sins.

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 (KJV)

Some days that’s the last thing you feel like doing. Tell God honestly how you feel, then praise Him before you see the outcome, because you know something good is coming. If you’re still here, God isn’t finished with you yet.

This message is part of a series on praise and thanks. It continues in Give Thanks to the Lord. Going through something hard? Let us pray with you.