Jesus is Coming

Choosing to Praise God

Can you praise God in the middle of uncertainty?

Verse of the Day

“And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”

Luke 1:46-47

Today’s Devotional

These words are the beginning of Mary’s response to Elizabeth, a conversation we looked at on December 8th.  This is the first verse of Mary’s Song, or the Magnificat.  In these verses, Mary pours out her praise to God.

I picked today’s verse for a specific reason.  I have been really wrestling with what to write, with how to focus on Jesus with this month of devotionals.  I keep praying for Jesus to show me what I need to focus on.  Add to that, I am in a season of life that has quite a bit of uncertainty.  Things feel very unsettled.  Nothing major is wrong, but there is a lot of waiting.

So…I was in the car running a few errands.  If I’m being completely honest, I was avoiding my computer because I did not know what to write.  How many different ways can one talk about focusing on Jesus and what the Christmas season means?  As I was driving, I was praying.  I was asking God to show me what I need to focus on.  

At a stop light, a song came on.  It was the Pentatonix version of “Hallelujah”, originally written by Leonard Cohen.  (There’s a link to the song after today’s journal prompts.) I have no idea what all of the lyrics of this song mean, but the word “hallelujah” means “God be praised”.  The song says it over and over.  Hallelujah.  God be praised.

Here’s what I feel like God was saying to me:

This season is about praise.  Christmas is a time to focus on Jesus and praise His Holy Name.  Mary did not have all the answers and was probably full of uncertainty, but still she chose to praise.  You, my child, do not have to have everything figured out and settled to be ok.  You can choose to praise.

When I got home, I pulled up the lyrics to this song.  There is one line that stands out to me:

Love is not a victory march

It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah.

Jesus does not need me to understand everything perfectly.  Jesus wants my praise.  He wants me to turn my attention to Him no matter how crazy the world feels, no matter how unqualified I feel, no matter what circumstances I am facing.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. No matter what.

Journal Prompts

Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.

How can you stop down and simply praise God today?

Why does God deserve your praise?

How can you praise God in spite of any difficulties you are currently facing?

Link to Pentatonix “Hallelujah”