Do You Praise Before You Receive Provision?
As I read the Scriptures, I’m struck by the praise of so many people even before they receive provision. We see this with Jesus all the time. Before he multiplied the loaves and fish, or before He raised Lazarus from the dead, He thanked God for hearing Him. Wow!
Side note: Do I even thank God for hearing me? So often, I’m so focused on what I need from God that I forget to thank Him for even listening to me. He doesn’t have to! Dang!
Jesus did this, Paul did this, but the person I see it the most from is King David.
In Psalm 13:5-6, David says this: “But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.”
I will rejoice for you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me. But here’s the kicker. When David said that He hadn’t been rescued yet and things were not going good for Him, he was praising God before the provision.
When you read the rest of Psalm 13, it’s a gut-wrenching prayer. It’s the kind of prayer that many of you have prayed before as well. Look at what David prays to God:
Psalm 13:1-4 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
It’s then where David adds a “but” in verse 5, and it’s a big “but,” too.
“BUT I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.”
Wow! David had not been rescued, and things were not going well for him, but He praised God before the provision, and He thanked God for being good to him.
I want to praise God before the provision. I want to rejoice in Him for being good to me, even when things aren’t going well for me. This is a choice! It’s a condition of the heart.
Lord, help us!
