Can you ever recall a time in your life that you have felt that God was not worthy of praise? I can’t. Looking back over my life, through the good and the bad, He was always worthy to be praised. Sure things may not have always turned out how I would have liked or thought, but regardless of my circumstance, it didn’t negate the worthiness of God to be praised. Psalm 113:3(KJV) says, “From the rising of the sun, until the going down of the same, the Lord’s Name is to be praised.” This means we are to praise God at all times no matter the circumstance.
In these uncertain times that we are in with the outbreak of the corona virus, there is no better time to examine why God is worthy of our praise. We all have probably had our moments when the seriousness of this pandemic has caused anxiety to arise in our spirit. During this time of chaos, I have had to remind myself that God is bigger than this virus and everything that I could ever encounter in this life. That alone, is reason enough! This situation has caused me to remember why my faith exists in the first place…..to give me hope and to get me through times such as these.
Knowing Who God is Can Change My Perspective
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed
When I begin to feel anxious, I remind myself who God is. I think about what I know about God that can help calm my spirit. I know that He is Omniscient, Sovereign, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent to name a few. He is also Holy, Faithful, and Trustworthy. But what does all that mean and how does reminding myself of these things help? Let’s take a few minutes to delve into how knowledge about God can change your whole perspective about the current times we are in.
God is All-Knowing
While we were all taken by surprise by the corona virus, God was not because He is Omniscient. He knew that this virus would be declared a pandemic. He knows the beginning and the end of it, and what it will take to combat and eradicate it. He knows all about it. And most assuredly, He will impart that knowledge to those in the medical industry, just as He has before about other sicknesses and diseases. Just knowing this is very comforting and worthy of our praise.
God Has Absolute Authority and Power
It is interesting to note that this time that we are in could not have happened if God did not allow it. But why would God allow something like this? His Sovereignty and Omnipotence gives Him absolute and supreme authority to allow it, but He never does so without a purpose.
Many times in the Bible God has allowed unpleasant things to happen to get the attention of His children. Think about the times we are living in today. There has been a lot of divisiveness in the world and in our country. People don’t show much love for their fellow man anymore and many do it in the name of religion. I don’t believe that God is pleased with His creation at the moment and many have defiled His Name. Many of us have turned away from Him, and have created lives that we thought could be sustained without much involvement from Him.
However, now He has shown us that in order to get through this, we need Him. We need His Provision. We need His Protection. We need His Comfort. We need HIM! Though God allows frightful things to happen in life, He doesn’t want us to live in fear. Instead, He wants us to depend on Him for our physical, our mental, and most of all our spiritual wellbeing. We can find great solace in knowing that He loves us enough to correct us, and that He will provide protection for those who are in covenant relationship with Him.
Because He has supreme power and authority, He has the power to place parameters on this chaotic situation and declare, “That’s Enough!” He has the power to heal our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) says, “ If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My Face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Here God gives very specific instruction. He says IF we humble ourselves, IF we pray, IF we seek His Face, IF we turn from our wicked ways…..THEN and only then will He hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land.
He has given us an out! His Sovereignty allows Him to set the rules, yet also show us mercy. We should praise God that He loves us enough and He’s merciful enough to provide a way of escape. That we are not just left to deal with the consequences of our sin.
God is With Us
Immanuel. In Hebrew it means-God is with us. God is Omnipresent. God is not confined to time, so that means that He is everywhere at all times at the same time. So whether I’m here and you’re there, He is with both of us simultaneously. That means that He was with you in your darkest hours keeping the weight of it from crushing you. He is with you now as you navigate life, and He will be with you in the future come what may.
Joshua 1:9 (KJV) says, “ Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid; neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” We should praise God for never leaving us alone! He promised He would be there and God always keeps His promises!
God is Holy
God is Holy. He is perfect in all righteousness. He is inherently good. And because He is, all that He does on your behalf is for your good. You’ve heard it said that He holds all the power of heaven and earth in His Hands? Because He’s Holy, you can be confident that He is in control of your circumstances and that those circumstances have been purposefully designed to refine you. What might not seem good to you at the time, God has already ordained that it will benefit you in the end.
God is Faithful
God is Trustworthy and Faithful. The Bible says in Numbers 23:19 (KJV), “God is not a man that He should lie; neither is He the son of man that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it?or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” If God said it, you can take Him at His Word. He is faithful to carry out His Word and His Promises.
Reminding ourselves of who God is when we are uncertain will keep us from going through life without a sense of purpose and will qualm our fears. There are so many more wonderful things to know about God that we can use to keep us uplifted. I pray that you find peace in all there is to know about God, and that your faith will increase as you learn about how marvelous He truly is. Be encouraged in the Lord!
Yours in Christ,
Nikki