Ready for 2018?

Psalm 135:3 “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good”

Good. Great. Sovereign. Just. Mighty. The psalmist certainly got it right when he chronicled the reasons we should praise the Lord. Interestingly, in Psalm 135, he begins with the fact God is good. Only through the lens of understanding his goodness can we see reason to praise. It gives us context for why he does what he does, even if we don’t understand. God is good. Continuously. Persistently. Permanently. Nothing can alter his goodness.

As I exit 2017 and approach the new year, it’s a perspective I want to hold on to. This year has taught me a lot about the importance of not only giving thanks to God, but speaking my gratitude through praise. Praise cements my sentiments.

I praise him for his goodness to me. When I could have died from sepsis in February, God restored me to health and deepened my appreciation for life.

I praise him for his goodness to me. He surprised me by orchestrating reconnections with old friends and providing special times to be with my family. He directed me to publish my second book and blessed my classes more than I could have imagined.

I praise him for his goodness to me. He comforted me when some prayers lay unanswered and unsettling situations distracted me.  He enabled me to let go of disappointments, big and small.

I realize the more I chose to praise God in my circumstances, the more I was able to see his goodness. In fact, I started looking for it! I could have focused on the negative aspects of many situations, but praising God through them helped me not get engulfed by the pain. Acknowledging his goodness not only gave honor to whom honor was due, it increased my love for him.

So I guess I’m as ready for 2018 as I can be. I’m armed with a mindset of his prevailing goodness. Are you? May I encourage you to think about how God has been good to you this past year? Then praise him for it. Let the awareness of his goodness overshadow everything else, and take that awareness with you in the upcoming days.

How about we commit to praising God for his goodness throughout the next year?