Conditional or Unconditional Praise

Conditional or Unconditional Praise
Psalm 118.24

I can remember as a child stating emphatically to my father, “I just don’t feel like it.” Funny now I cannot remember all those things I didn’t feel like doing. The list most likely included cleaning my room, cutting the grass, doing my homework, clearing the dishes from the table, and going to school.

There was one time I remember vividly when I didn’t feel like it! The “it” was going to church. I think someone had said something about me in the youth group. I am sure that surprises you since you are in a church that never talks about anyone. Laugh, Laugh, sigh.

What surprised me is the response from my Pastor-father. It was probably one of the first “grown-up” conversations we ever had; opening the door to many wonderful ones since. Shockingly he revealed calmly to me that there are times we don’t feel like it. As he guided me through the discovery of why I didn’t feel like it, both human and also heavenly Father(s) helped me recognize that praise and worship of the Lord has little to do with feelings. Oh sure emotions are involved, but they can be so fickle and rest so on our selfish agendas.

There are days you don’t feel like praising the Lord. Sure circumstances can be tough. This world leaves many wounds and scares. However, there is an amazing thing that takes place when we praise the Lord.

The Psalmist did not place any conditions on daily praise. Listen to his song; “This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Since this is the day the Lord made, and simply because that fact alone is true, we will rejoice and be glad in IT. Oh yeah, look at this, the Hebrew word for rejoice means “to go around in a circle”. Almost sounds like a dance of joy – oh no, it is the dance of joy.

What? Oh what happened with me not feeling like it? Dad blew my mind. He said the choice on that day was mine. I could even chose to stay home from church with no parental discipline. The only thing he said was, “you know what the right thing to do regardless of how you feel…so it’s your choice.”

Huh? Oh, I went to church! It wasn’t half bad either.

This is the day the Lord has made, let’s go around in a circle with exultation and gladness of the Lord!

Always Enthusiastic (and maybe about to be dizzy),
Dr. Rusty Newman