Hey family. Happy Wednesday. Let me start by expressing my gratitude to you guys for all the words of encouragement as l continue writing on this blog. I get really strengthened by your messages and support. To be quite honest, it’s not easy to show up consistently. As a matter of fact, some days I don’t want to. I don’t “feel” like it but it will always be bigger than feelings. Yes. The things of God are bigger than feelings. Do our feelings matter? Yes. Should we be led by feelings? No. Imagine if Jesus decided to not go ahead with the Father’s will because that day He felt like something else. So thank you for your encouragement, I’m glad we are all learning together.
We are sorry to inform you that …”
I scrolled down and I saw the same email. Over 10 of them because l usually set a target of how many applications I will send out when I’m job hunting. All of them were negative responses from companies I had applied to. I was looking at R0.00 in my account , no toiletries for the month, a possibility of no food and a double possibility of me not being able to even get to church. I waited more days to see .. the rest of the companies l had applied to, surely God had made room for me in one of them right? Beloved … hehe.
I stared at my phone screen and reread the emails . All of them were bad news. I don’t know if you guys have been desperate for a job before but boy! I was desperate! I prayed. I fasted. I danced. I served. I was ready to soar . In all that, all l got was NO here , NO there, NO everywhere. I knew God’s truth. I believed God’s truth. I had seen God take care of me before with no job or support system but suddenly … I didn’t know what to do. I had no sound of praise to release. Worship felt like a duty. I avoided it and focused on warfare because at that point it was definitely war time!
Worship and grief don’t usually go hand-in-hand. My responsibilities were choking the boldness and faith out of me – l chose warfare. I chose “other” things BUT praise and worship. Why dance when I’m about to be hungry and am already broke? Why worship when I’m not physically seeing Gods goodness? I looked at the lives of the wicked, they were/are prospering. I looked at those who don’t even care whether Jesus is Lord or not, I saw soft life. I said eiii am l coleslaw salad? I get people who get frustrated after one prayer BUT I am talking about people who Labour on the altar daily, the frustration is on 300% because you literally don’t know what else to do.
Since my childhood days I’ve never been one to ask for help or even make a sound when l need help. I still don’t. It’s something God is helping me with , bit by bit. I’m aware that it’s not a good thing. So I just pray about things and keep it going . You’ll most likely hear the testimony but not the emergency. So because I keep to myself , l knew there was no way I was coming out except by God. I straight up felt like l had nothing to be thankful for. No time for praise. No time for worship. Just warfare and speaking in tongues. It took joining a live on Instagram for me to be reminded , praise and worship is also a weapon!
It’s not easy to praise and worship during hard times. When you’re broke, sick with a bad doctors report, having lost a loved one, robbed of your belongings, lost a child or praying for one for years, no employment, no direction, it is not easy at all. While many of us have most likely had a hard year, I want to give you some reasons why you can thank and praise God at all times.
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” (Hab 3:17–19, ESV)
Habakkuk says he will rejoice in the “Lord” — Yahweh — the great I AM. The One who is eternal and unchanging. While things in this world change, God doesn’t! Worship is an act of faith. It is a choice ; and so is praise. Choosing to see beyond the empty plate and the bag of medication. Choosing to believe His truth that He is with us at all times.
If our worship is solely based on testimonies, are we sons of God or leeches? We should always seek the Bread Giver more than the bread itself why? Because bread runs out but He remains our source of sustainance. I don’t know what you’re going through right now. You may not be able to talk about it . You may not be seeing a way out. All doors are closed. The emails say “we are sorry to inform you,” the bank is saying “you broke believer” the doctor is saying “we cannot treat this” .. it may be many things choking strength out of you but today I’m saying to you;
Keep praising! Even though it seems like there is no way out, the Way is in you, He is Christ in you the hope of glory. Refuse to stop praising. Refuse to stop worshipping. I have a song for you ;
