“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sin and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” -Psalm 103:1-5

When we find ourselves in a difficult season, the first thing that is affected is our soul (our mind, will, and emotions). I know that emotions are fickle and they are certainly not something that we should live by. I also know that the joy and peace that comes from the Lord goes much deeper than the emotional high and lows that come with changing circumstances. Despite knowing all these things as truth, there may be times when we find it difficult to overcome the reality of our sinking emotions.

In these moments I have found there is something much more powerful than even the strongest feeling, and it was modeled by King David during one of his darkest hours in Psalm 107, (see above). He wrote this Psalm in the middle of the horrible difficulties, problems and sufferings he had been facing. Yet, despite his circumstances, he made the powerful choice to reflect on the goodness of God.

Like King David, one of the most powerful ways to overcome negative emotions is by taking a moment to bless the Lord and remind ourselves how good He has been to us. We all have so much to praise Him for, even if we can’t think of something specific, we surely can all thank Him for giving us His one and only Son Jesus to die for us so we could be washed clean of our sins and have a relationship with Him, both now and for eternity! Now that is something to praise about!

If you are feeling burdened, weighted down, or heavy with the cares of this life today, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on God’s goodness. Remind yourself of the good things He has done in your life and that He has great plans for your future!

Prayer: “Lord, today I choose to reflect on your goodness and all of the good things that you have done in my life. I praise you Lord for all of your benefits! Thank you for forgiving all of my sins and healing all of my diseases. I thank you that you have redeemed my life from the pit and you have crowned me with love and compassion. You, oh Lord, satisfy my desires with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”