Praise Be!

I grew up hearing the ‘older folk’ say “Praise-be!”  It was usually preceded by “Well” and never followed up by what they were praise-being about.  I was confused by this and usually looked up and all around trying to figure out what we were praise-being for!  Sometimes it was said shortly after answering the front door and finding some random loved one on the other side of it.  Other times it was muttered as a cake was being pulled from the oven.  ‘Praise-be’s’ seemed to be thrown “willy nilly” all over the place!

I am about to leave for a week of vacation, and since I’m not sure I’ll get much writing done - I’d like to leave my Thanksgiving thoughts for you now.  I’ll start off by saying, Praise-be for vacations!  It isn’t often that my husband and I get away for a whole week, and even if it wasn’t the week of Thanksgiving, I would be giving much thanks!  It’s easy to be thankful when we get to do something fun, or things are going well.  How many of us know how to have a thankful heart when times are tough, or we are required to scrub the toilet?  I can honestly say, I do not have a good handle on the latter scenario.  Never have I said, “praise-be” with my head anywhere near the bathroom floor!

Even the Godliest of folk seem to struggle finding the good in the midst of the bad and the ugly.  How in the world are those of us that are not even close to being perfect, do this?  I have gone to church since I was eight days old, and I still have a hard time remembering to give thanks when I just don’t feel like it.  So what do we do when we read scriptures like Psalm 118:24?  “This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  There have been times when hearing that would have just irritated me!  You want me to do what?  Rejoice when my child has been disobedient?  Sing hallelujah while I have piles of laundry to do?  Dance a jig and be glad when I have just lost a loved one?

Several years ago I was reading one of Luci Swindoll’s books, and finally experienced one of the best explanations about this Psalm.  A loose quote would be, “the rejoicing is not in the circumstances of the day, the rejoicing is in who made the day!”   It was my “ah-ha” moment!  “This is the day that the Lord has made!”  I will praise Him and thank Him, not because of the circumstances of the day, but because He made the day!  “I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  I will sing that hallelujah and dance that jig, in spite of what the day brings, because God is faithful and will never leave me!  Praise-Be indeed!

This Thanksgiving I hope you have a warm roof over your heads, family to be with, and great food to share in.  But more than that - I pray that you have a “Praise-be” moment with God, giving thanks and rejoicing in what He has done, and who He is.  If you find yourself without family, or much food to share in - I pray you give thanks for exactly the same reasons!  What He did for us - giving His son to die for our sins, is still true even when we have a “bad day.”  Who He is - our Savior, Redeemer, Counselor, Comforter, and Creator - is still true…even when we have to clean a toilet.  So Praise-Be and pass the pumpkin pie!