“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations,   "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us,  and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126:2-3 NIV)

It easy to praise God when things are going right in our lives.  It’s easy to thank god for good children and a happy marriage and food on the table.  But how hard it is to praise Him when the road is tough?  It’s so hard to fill our hearts with love, joy and laughter when we are at our lowest.  The mortgage needs to be paid, mom has to go to the doctor, and your spouse is constantly nagging and fighting with you.  It seems impossible to find joy in this mess.

Yet, God is faithful to us time and time again.  God is there with us when we need him.  He has done great things for us and for that, we should be filled with a constant joy.  Joy that can withstand the rough roads – that is the kind of joy God want from us every day.

God, life is hard but I’m going to put that all aside so I can fill my heart with the joy of knowing you.  I want this joy every day.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV)

You know them…people who give so that everyone can see it.  It’s no surprise that some people do good things because they want the accolades.  They write big checks and put their names on their donations.  These people are looking for the applause of men.  According to Jesus, they already have their reward.

But if instead, we persevere through this world, not boasting or calling attention to our deeds, if we give with a cheerful heart, we will receive the blessings God has promised us.  It would be foolish to think that these blessings would be monetary or status improving.  Perhaps the blessing will be knowing that  a family member has given his life to Christ.  Maybe it will be an answer to a prayer.  God can and will keep the promised that he has made to us. 

God, I trust you with everything I have.  Take this offering and use it for your Kingdom.  I give to you not because you will bless me, but because it is a blessing to give.

“For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.  Then I said:  "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel” (Nehemiah 1:4-6 NIV)

There is a lot to be said for patience.  How many times do we react to a situation before having the time to process it?  If we’re honest, we’ll say it happens often.  There is something inside us that loves to jump to conclusions, lashing out when we think we’re wronged. We even tend to raise our hands to God asking “Why?”

Instead, we should take Nehemiah’s approach.  Before petitioning God for an answer, we should first put our emotions in check. Taking the time to prepare our hearts by fasting and praying before petitioning God ensures that we are not jumping to conclusions. Sometimes the events in our lives hurt so badly, but we need to be careful and not blame God.  By taking three steps: mourning, fasting and praying, we help align our hearts before going to the throne.

God, there are things we need to talk about, but I want to be sure I’m not being selfish or over-reacting.  Before I bring my petition to your throne, I will take the time to prepare my heart to receive what you have to say.