The Peace of Thanksgiving Through the Storm

Psalm 37:39-40

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

 The Lord helps them and delivers them;

    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

    because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 42:5

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

For I will YET praise Him...to turn our eyes to Jesus no matter what circumstances are going on around us is not denying the pain or the heartache but rather remembering that our Foundation is strong and unshakeable. The Lord is SO good and so worthy of all our praise, all the time, but it's amazing how even giving Him what He deserves is good for us. That's how much He loves us. That the more we turn our thoughts to HIM, to what is true, noble...praiseworthy...the more we get to experience and rest in His unchanging peace. The peace that the world cannot give and the peace that the world cannot take away.

^{Philippians 4:4-9}

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

As we put praise and gratitude into practice those pathways in our brains become stronger and we literally receive healing and transformation by the renewing of our mind. This is part of the peace that passes all understanding, the abundant life, and the joy of the Lord being our strength. Thanks be to God for His faithfulness! He is so worthy of our praise!