The Pick Ax of Praise

Illustrating a Truth of The Power of Believing
and Mending the Broken Heart

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

Thanking God for blessings is child's play compared to what is actually set before us as the answer to life's hardest problems. What do you do when you are reeling from the blows of adversity and emotional pain? The Word tells us to thank God in all things and for all things. He does not causes evil, but He can overturn it, bringing a greater blessing out of it than any evil the enemy put into it in the first place. 

Thanking God vigorously in the midst of a situation that we hate or fear, radically shifts our perspective and liberates our heart by restoring us to a wholesome sense of God’s sovereignty over the adversity we are facing. It takes a firm resolution to learn how to swing the “pick ax of praise," but for those who do, fountains of living water are released!

Consider these levels: 

1) Beginner: thanking God in good times for good things
2) Intermediate: thanking God in bad times for good things
3) Veteran: thanking God in bad times for bad things

It may not make sense (at first), but it works!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is… giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:17, 20

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

Prayer

Thank You Father that You want to help me learn to swing this “pick ax of praise.” So here I go with this thing that I have hated and feared: ________. Thank You that it was not Your will or desire that caused it. Thank You that You have grieved with me. Thank You that You haven’t been angry with me over all the bad attitudes and acting out I’ve done because of it. Thank You that You have redemptive purposes that will be worth the pain of this passage. Thank You that this is being steered in a good direction. Thank You that it is teaching me to walk by faith in what I can’t see. Thank You that the pain and the problem won’t last forever—only Your love will have the final word!

Next Illustrated Truth

Which Reality?
Illustrating the choice we make between listening to the enemy's accusations or God's mercy.