I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.
Psalm 13:6, NIV
King David knew that the secret of victory over adversity was a conscious choice to praise God. Again and again, as he cries out to God in prayer, we hear his choice to praise: “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? . . . Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. . . . But I will trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me” (Ps. 13:2-6, NIV). David, hounded by Saul and living as a fugitive for years in a nation where he was the national hero as well as the anointed king, exercised his will to praise God even when he just didn’t feel like it.
Praise is the switch that turns on the light of joy in our lives even when it’s “dark” outside. And the resulting “light” causes others to see the glory of God in our lives.
