TODAY’S READINGS
Psalm 133 | Daniel 2:1-23 | Acts 4:23-31
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Tuesday April 20
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. | Psalm 95:2
Thankful Singing
One of my biggest obstacles to personal growth is my unwillingness to give thanks to the Lord. I use the term “personal growth” instead of “spiritual growth” because I am becoming more and more convinced that all true growth is spiritual. Our unfortunate perception that our mental, physical, and spiritual existences operate separately from each other is inaccurate. So, to that end, when I come before the Lord and announce the many aspects of my life for which I am truly thankful, my spirit is transformed from gloom to glory. When I take it a step further and sing praises to my Lord and King, my mind and body and soul are being caught up to a place that was inaccessible to me before my thanksgiving and praise. So, if you find yourself sad and depressed today, make an inventory of all you have to be thankful for. Then, hook yourself up with some good Christian praise music that focuses on God’s glory. Choose carefully songs that are truly about God and not about us. As you read through your gratitude list to God and lift your voice in praise to Him, take note of how this discipline is a great prescription for anxiety and depression. Give it a try. What do you have to lose? I pray that as you do, you will become increasingly aware of God’s sovereign control over your life and of his divine protection. Shalom!