Praise Offers Reassurance to the Fearful Heart

I love Psalm 103. It is a powerful call to praise our God. In fact, there are 22 verses filled with reasons and ways to praise. Praise is important for many reasons, but let’s just focus on one of those reasons: praise is a fear-buster.

Nagging doubts assail the best of us. Am I a good enough mother? Is my boss happy with my work? Will we be able to pay all the bills this month? How can God love me when I mess up so much? What if I’m not really saved? Doubt is a result of the wrong focus. When doubt is allowed to fester, it grows into worry, and full-blown worry becomes paralyzing fear.

Put the Brakes on Doubt

Throw the emergency brake as soon as you realize you’re entertaining doubts! God’s Word offers a wonderful remedy to doubt, worry, and fear: praise. When we praise God, we take our focus off of ourselves and place it squarely on Him. Praise offers reassurance, reminding us that God is still at work today right where we live. Scripture is filled with praise, but the book of Psalms is an especially rich source for building your praise muscles.

Psalm 103 opens with David praising God with everything he has. Then he launches into a list of God's blessings: forgiveness, healing, redemption, love and compassion, fulfillment of desires, and renewal. In Christ, we have every single one of these blessings, too.

As David continues thinking about God’s goodness, he recalls that God is slow to anger and abounds in love. He spends several verses meditating on God’s grace and mercy concluding with the amazing statement that God has removed our sins from us as far as the East is from the West. He uses the image of a daddy with his children to illustrate God’s tremendous compassion for his people.

Since God made us, He understands our frailty. In stark contrast to the ephemeral nature of life, God's love for his people has no end. This fact alone offers deep reassurance to the doubting, anxious, fearful heart.

Praise Offers Reassurance

Over the years I have struggled with doubts about whether I was a good enough mother. Did I model Jesus to my children? Did my life help them or hinder them in their own personal relationships with Jesus? Verses17-18 offer tremendous reassurance to moms like me: “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” I wasn’t perfect, but God’s faithfulness is. As I pray for my children and grandchildren, I can trust God’s mercy in their lives.

The Psalm ends as it began: with a call for everyone and everything to praise the LORD. There simply is no room left for doubt, worry, or fear in a heart filled with praise. Instead of focusing on yourself, your situation, your finances, and your relationships, your focus turns to the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

Praise at Work

Recently I had the chance to put this theory into action. I had spent a wonderful day at an event for Christian mothers. I had my book Fed By Design available for sale there and met many amazing ladies. After the event, I pulled my car up near the door to load everything up. When I got back in, my car was dead. No lights came on, and even my key fob wouldn't work. I had a new battery, so I knew that wasn't the problem. My first thought was that I needed a new alternator. I called my roadside assistance and began praising God. I thanked Him for the good event, for His faithfulness, and for His perfect provision. I knew an alternator wouldn't be cheap, but I praised the Lord for His provision.

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When the tow truck arrived, the driver suggested we try jumping my car off. I didn't think that would work because everything was completely dead. To my amazement, however, the battery sparked, and my car returned to life!. He pointed out the corrosion on the battery contact, and told me how to clean it. My son-in-law did a great job that night of getting rid of all the bothersome corrosion.

I was so grateful that I hadn't wasted emotional energy worrying. Praise had kept my heart in a good place. A healthy habit of praise will dispel doubt, weaken worry and fight fear! How has praisng God changed you? Leave a comment so we can all be blessed!