I will praise you as long as I live...

"I will praise you as long as I live... And in your name I will lift up my hands."

Wow! What powerful words these are! When I think about this verse, it brings me so many things into my mind. For as long as I live whether things are good or bad, whether I am happy or sorrowful, whether I am strong or weak...etc.

Do you see how our praise doesn't depend on our emotions but on our strong conviction that we are here on earth to lift up our hands and praise the name of the Lord? Psalm 22:3 says that "The Lord inhabits in the praises of His people." This means that praise moves the heart of God in such a way that He just dwells in it. He lives, manifests himself in this glorious expression of our hearts toward Him for His many mercies and grace.

I myself have discovered a great amount of healing in my heart, my mind and soul when I just let go of everything that is hindering me and I just throw myself in the arms of Jesus with Praise. Sometimes we forget that the best moments of Praise are those we give in times of surrow, pain, loss and difficulties. It is so easy to praise when we are content and everything seems to be going smooth, but what about praising at times when all we would like to do is give up and just abandon ourselves in misery?

This is the time when God knows how much we really depend on Him. He wants to know if we can trust Him and lift our hands up in the midst of our trials and tribulations. Have I done that all of my life? Of course not! There have been terrible times when all I do is just stay in my room, close the windows, shut the door and see no one at all. But then, through life and experience I have learned to open my heart in praise even when it is so hard for it to come out of my lips, but little by little, when I begin to think about how God has delivered and rescued me so many times and how I am still in one piece and breathing, that I literally lift up my hands and begin to Praise Him. Oh what a difference!

As a woman, I am all emotions. As a friend of mine told me once when we were talking about emotional inteligence, I was sharing with him the fact that we are 85% emotions, and he said that I was like 95% Haha! I laughed so hard, because he is right. I have been so emotional throughout my life, that it has caused me too much pain! However, I have learned to have more conviction in what I know is true, and what I know is right.

Praising the Lord comes through conviction not from emotion. Oh... How sweet it is to Praise the Lord in all of His magesty and just let go of our worries, our pain, our sorrow and throw ourselves into His mighty presence, into His strong arms full of love...

As Psalm 34:1 says: "I will praise the Lord at all times;His praise will always be on my lips." Always means all the time my dearly beloved. Even when you feel you can't. Remember Praise is not a feeling, it is a conviction of your heart that He who loved You first, deserves all your gratitude, your joy, your heart, your peace and of course, your Praise.

Be blessed.