STOP BEGGING, START PRAISING
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
—Jeremiah 17:14
One of my favorite quotes from my pastor, personal mentor, and giant of the faith is: “Stop telling God how big your problems are, and start telling your problems how big your God is!” (Dr. Jerry Falwell).
Another game-changing adjustment we made in the midst of our brokenness was to stop begging God for healing and start praising Him for who He was. We learned this from our daughter. Jen’s mind and body were so broken that her spirit became the strongest, loudest part of her. We noticed that when she prayed, she never asked God for anything. She never once begged Him to heal her or relieve her; she only praised Him for all of His attributes and thanked Him in advance for all the things He could do.
One time while she could barely hold her head up in a wheelchair, Jen prayed, “Thank you, Lord for healing me and raising me up. I praise You, my Rock and my Healer, because nothing is impossible for You!”
I remember thinking, “Jen, you can’t even sit up on your own. Why are you praising God for raising you up?”
It soon became obvious to us that her prayers were quite different from our prayers. She focused on praise while we focused on pleading. The more we begged God, the more me concentrated on what we didn’t have. But Jen praised God instead, concentrating on what she did have. I don’t think there is anything wrong with begging. God’s Word invites us to ask boldly for things. But I have discovered supernatural peace and confidence by exchanging begging for praising. It’s a minor adjustment that breeds huge dividends of hope and contentment, rather than loss or disappointment.
Jeremiah 17:14 says, “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed…for you are the one I praise.” It doesn’t say, “You are the one I beg, or ask, or plead.” It says praise.
Jen has this promise written on a sticky note next to her bed. She quotes it out loud every day and believes that God will continue to heal her brain and her memory by faith.
Praise means to “express admiration for someone.” As men, sometimes we get a little uncomfortable with praise. We think it involves tears and arms waving in the air and Kumbaya-type songs. It can involve those things, but it can also be done in a deer stand, on a boat, while your out running, or while you’re driving in the car with the windows down. It can be private or public. It can be quite or loud. Whatever works for you. You don’t have to praise the way other people praise. It’s your own expression of the qualities you appreciate and admire about God. The important thing is that you shift your focus and attention from you and your finite problems to God and His infinite majesty.
It’s amazing what adjusting from the temporary to the timeless can do for your mind, body, and soul. Doctors tell us all the time that there is no way Jen should still be healing the way she is. We were told by many specialists that after two years her progress would be stagnant. I have to ask them to please never tell her that because that is not what she believes. She doesn’t talk about her problems. She only talks about her Healer. And guess what? He keeps healing her more every day!
Stop talking about your problems. Start talking about your God. Praise Him, and see if that makes a difference for you today.
ACTION STEP
Who could you talk to about how great your God is today? Maybe you have a neighbor, co-worker, or friend at the gym.
If you can’t think of anyone, try talking to God about how great He is. Write a letter to God. Build something for Him. Create something for Him. Do whatever it takes to get your mind off your problems and into His presence.