Scripture says, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will 1 shew the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23). When the sun comes up, praise God. When the sun goes down, praise God. No matter if you are sick, praise God. If you are lonely, praise God. Regardless of what you are going through, praise God. If we will remain planted in the house of the Lord, we will still be praising Him no matter what comes our way.
By Rufus M. Parker
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Heaviness is defined as a quality or state of being heavy, weighty, or burdened. Things seem to be more than you can handle. Here are some things that can be weighty to us:
- Death in the family
- Bills that are due
- Sickness of someone in the family
- Divorce
- Church members leaving the church
- Getting married
- Retirement
- Doctor gives you a report of a serious illness
They are heavy and weighty and can cause you to become discouraged and maybe even want to quit. These are the things that make you start to have a pity party for yourself. We say, “Why me, God?” Why not you? If all things really do work together for our good, then why not us? Just when it seems like everything was getting ready to go well, here comes a storm or trouble in our path. We lose our joy. We lose our hope. We begin to cry because it hurts. We may even begin to fear. Fear steps in, and we become afraid and start to feel like a failure. But as Paul told Timothy, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7). Just as there is a spirit of heaviness, there is a spirit of fear. These spirits are not from God who is for us but of the devil who is against us.
The cure for fear is:
- Love – Love covers a multitude of sin, for God is love (I John 4:8).
- Power – You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you (Acts 1:8); “Behold, I give unto you power” (Luke 10:19).
- Sound mind – “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
The cure for heaviness is praise. Paul said, “Let us lay aside every weight . . . which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1). Anything that might be weighing you down should be removed by letting Him carry it for you. If they are cares of this life, give them to Jesus. Money problems, give them to Jesus. Family problems, give them to Jesus. We are exhorted to cast all our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us (I Peter 5:7).
“Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand” (Judges 1:12). Judah means “praise.” So when we have a battle ahead of us, we must allow praise from our lips to go up first.
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