How To Praise On Difficult Days

HOW TO PRAISE ON DIFFICULT DAYS

PSALM 27:1-6

On April 21st of 1764 John Wesley wrote in his journal about a visit that he had made. He said (today) I visited one who was ill in bed; and, after having buried seven of her family in six months, had just heard that the eighth, her beloved husband, was cast away at sea. I asked, “Do not you fret at any of those things?” She said, with a lovely smile upon her pale cheek, “O, no! How can I fret at anything which is the will of God? Let Him take all besides: He has given me Himself. I love, I praise Him every moment.”

Only those who have faith in the Lord are able to face the troubles of life with praise in their heart. Psalm 27 shows us that David was one who had great faith in the Lord.

Many of the Psalms have inscriptions that give us some insight to the circumstances surrounding that specific Psalm. For example:

We are told that Psalm 3 is a "Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son."

Psalm 34 is "A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech"

Psalm 51 was penned by David after "Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had sinned with Bathsheba."

Psalms 57 is a Psalm of David "when he fled from Saul in the cave."

David faced many battles in his life: He was pursued by the King of Israel, Saul, he fled from his own son Absalom, he endured many battles against the Philistines, and he suffered greatly as a result of his own sin. Psalm 27 is one of those Psalms that is simply titled "A Psalm of David".

We know who wrote it, we know that he was facing some great difficulties at this point in his life, but we are not told the specific circumstances that prompted this prayer. In this Psalm, David refers to the trouble that he was facing because of his enemies. He speaks of false witnesses and those who were "violent men". There is no doubt that David was in the midst of an intense attack, but even with trouble all around him, David had great confidence in the Lord. Not only did he have confidence in the Lord, he was able to praise the Lord even in the midst of such difficulty.

v6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

David was filled with praise, thanksgiving and adoration for all God had done in his life. I want to look at how David responded to the troubles in his life and consider "How To Have Praise On Difficult Days".

- There are at least 4 things that David teaches us about how to deal with difficult days. We must:

1. COMPREHEND THE PERSONALITY OF GOD

2. SEEK THE PRESENCE OF GOD

3. REST IN THE PROTECTION OF GOD

- Let us begin by examining the fact that we must:

I. COMPREHEND THE PERSONALITY OF GOD

David was a man who walked with the Lord. He is described as "a man after God's own heart". The longer you know someone and the more time you spend with them, the more you will learn about their personality. (sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes... not so much)

However, the longer you walk with the Lord and the more time you spend with Him, the more you will learn about Him. (and this is ALWAYS a good thing!)

When you begin to recognize and understand the many attributes of God's personality you will become more and more confident in His abilities. When you have confidence in the Lord you will be able to trust Him, even in the tough times of life.

- Listen to what David declares about the personality of God in verses 1-3

v1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

He describes the Lord as: "my light", "my salvation" and "the strength of my life". Though trouble surrounded David, he knew that he was not in darkness because the Lord was his light. Though danger was all around him, David knew that the Lord was his "salvation". He trusted that the Lord would deliver him from his enemies. David's confidence came from the fact that the Lord had delivered him in the past. He was confident that God would deliver him from his current situation, and David could trust that the Lord would deliver him in the future.