Editor’s note: Today is the National Day of Prayer in the United States. The theme for 2025 is Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled. Join us as we pray today!
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13 NASB
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Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke... Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me. — Psalm 66:16-17, 20
I used to have a mixed-up ideology about prayer and praise. In my mind, they were two separate things with two separate purposes — praise was for the good stuff and prayer was for the hard stuff. My praise was based on my circumstances and feelings. I praised God when He answered my prayers (in the way I wanted) and for “blessings” (that made my life easier). After all, it’s easy to say “God is good” when good things happen.
But how do you praise God when the healing you’ve been praying for doesn’t come, or when that job you wanted falls through? Or when a friend ghosts you or your spouse leaves or you lose someone you love? How do you praise God when you’re drowning in the depths of depression or when your mind is flooded with anxiety or when your body is suffering in chronic pain?
Praise is not reserved for only the pretty moments of life or the days we deem good enough.
We praise God not because of our circumstances but because of His character. Genuine praise is dependent not on how we feel but on who He is.
Praise is the ground that steadies all our prayers. Praise roots our prayers in hope as it grounds our hearts and minds in God’s constant presence and abiding love. Praise helps us remember.
As we pray for healing or cry out for help, we praise Him as we remember His past provision.
As we lament the pain and suffering that surrounds us, we praise Him as we remember His presence with us right now.
As we tell Him our worries and our fears, we praise Him as we remember His future promises.
And when life is hard and we’re struggling to find reasons to praise God, we can use three simple cues to help guide our praise:
- What has God already done?
- What is God doing now?
- What has God promised He will do?
Praise God for what He has done.
Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of His name! Tell the world how glorious He is. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!...Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and His people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in Him. — Psalm 66:1–3, 5-6
From the creation of the world and everyday wonders to the rescue of His people and His miraculous resurrection, God has never stopped working His awesome deeds throughout all the earth. In Psalm 66, the psalmist is praising God by recounting a specific time when He delivered His people from Egypt by parting the sea and leading them to freedom across the dry land. Nothing is too hard for God. He has proved it again and again.
It can be easy to praise God in wide generalities and simply say, “Thanks for everything, God.” But it can be a powerful practice to do like the psalmist and turn our thoughts to specific times when God has provided for us, letting our praise be filled with the smaller details of His goodness and grace in our lives. When we remember what God has done, we gain courage to trust what God will do.
Consider: What specific time in your life can you point to as evidence of God’s goodness or help?
Praise God for what He is doing.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! — Habakkuk 3:17–18
In Habakkuk, we find the prophet speaking honestly to God about his confusion, complaints, and questions. He didn’t understand why God hadn’t done anything about the rampant sin and corruption in Judah. Where was the justice? Why wasn’t He doing anything?
But then we see these pleas and prayers being wrapped in a psalm of praise. Even as he is bitterly honest about the current circumstances facing Judah — the barrenness and emptiness, the battles and devastation — Habakkuk remembers God’s past deliverance and provision. Even as his heart pounds and his lips quiver and his body trembles in fear (v. 16), he chooses to hold on to hope and praises God “even though.” Right in the middle of the difficult and devastating circumstances of his present situation, Habakkuk remembers God’s presence and is able to praise Him even though the hard things remain.
We can praise God right now, too.
Even though things are hard and we don’t understand, we can look for the evidence of His goodness and we can trust that God is with us, right here and right now.
Consider: What is your “even though” today? What’s the struggle, the disappointment, the hard thing that makes it difficult to find joy? How can you praise God even in that?
Praise God for what is still to come.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’ — Revelation 21:3–4
In Revelation, we find the ultimate message of hope — that now is not the end of the story and there will be a day when all things will be made new, with Jesus’ return and God’s ultimate plan to usher in a new Heaven and new earth. We see God not abandoning this world but transforming it into something new. We see Jesus sitting not in some far-off, unreachable Heaven but making His eternal home among His people, present with us forever and ever. We see Him destroying death and sin once and for all, wiping away every tear and removing sorrow and pain and suffering forever.
It’s a future too glorious to adequately imagine, a hope almost too beautiful to believe. But God always keeps His promises; He does what He says He will do. It is with this assurance that we hold to hope and praise God for an eternal ending to our story that is too wonderful for words.
No matter our current circumstances, we can rest in His love today as we look forward to the future glory and eternal peace He promises.
Consider: What is a promise of God that you can hold on to today?
There is no easy answer to suffering, and our praise does not negate the reality of pain in our lives and in our world. But prayers wrapped in praise can transcend even the darkest depths of despair because they remind us of the reality of God’s promises, the dependability of His character, and the certainty of His ultimate victory. So even in the midst of suffering, even as we plead for help and beg for mercy and lament injustice, we can wrap it all in praise — because this is how we hold on to hope.
Surrendering Prayer
As I prepare to enter into the rest of my day, Lord,
May my pace be slow and unhurried, ever aware of Your presence with me.
May my mind be attentive and clear, noticing the gift of every moment.
May my heart be gentle and kind, showing compassion to myself and others.
Fill me with praise as I remember Your goodness and all the ways You’ve helped me.
May I see the thread of Your faithful love woven through every moment of my life.
Today, I will interrupt every worry with this truth:
You’ve been with me through it all, and You are with me still.
Keep turning my thoughts to whatever is worthy of praise. Transform me to be more like You.
Amen.
Adapted for Devotionals Daily by Jennifer Tucker, author of Present in Prayer: A Guided Invitation to Peace Through Biblical Meditation.
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Your Turn
Join us and people all over the U.S. in prayer today! Let’s praise God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what’s still to come! ~ Devotionals Daily