I don’t listen to my car radio anymore. The fuzzy sound coming from the twelve-year old speakers is annoying.
But the silence has turned into a gift, a time for prayer and worship.
As I leave our neighborhood and pass the ponds and large live oak trees draped with Spanish moss, I praise God for the beauty of creation, within steps of our home:
- The glassy surface of the ponds, reflecting blue sky and mounds of clouds
- The stately trees, with branches spread wide, as if to praise God with me
- The family of sandhill cranes, stretching their graceful necks to the ground in search of breakfast
- The rich green grass, arrayed in dew-diamonds
And with the psalmist I want to add my enthusiastic voice.
“Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty…How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all, the earth is full of your creatures. I will sing praise…as I rejoice in the Lord (Psalm 104:1, 24, 33-34).
Oh, yes!
On the way to my hair appointment the other day, that’s exactly what I was doing: praising God for the beauty around me.
And then, boom. My mind veered off to a troubling event that happened years ago. Before I even realized what was happening, my thoughts were swirling around in a cesspool of negativity.
When I caught myself, I said out loud in a firm but frustrated voice: “LET. IT. GO!”
And just as suddenly as that cesspool opened up, I found myself singing an old chorus from my childhood, but with new words. Do you remember:
“Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord?”
My altered rendition went like this:
Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go now!
Praise ye the Lord! (Repeat.)
Praise ye the Lord! Let it go, now! (Repeat three times.)
PRAISE YE THE LORD!
Did you figure out the tune? Do you remember this song?
Well, no sooner did I start singing that silly song, than I was smiling to myself. My spirit was downright laughing!
And the cesspool drained away.
I don’t know how ugly matters can flood into my mind, even as I’m praising God. I don’t know how to keep the mess out once and for all.
What I am learning is this:
As soon as I recognize that the floodgates of negativity have opened, my best offensive move to close them up again is praise and gratitude.
And why does it work?
“Satan so hates genuine praise that his fiery darts of discouragement are not effective against us when we respond in praise” – Bill Thrasher (A Journey to Victorious Praying, Moody, 2003, p. 206).
Evidently, Satan hasn’t given up on me yet; he’s still firing darts of discouragement to render me ineffective. You know–reduce me to one of those people who revels in self-pity and the pity of others.
I do not want him to score a single point, much less win the victory!
My aim is to adopt David’s attitude:
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast: I will sing and give praise” (Psalm 57:7).
Note that David wrote this psalm when he had to flee for his life from murderous King Saul (1 Samuel 22-24).
M-m-m. Surely David had to avoid a few cesspools of negativity under such circumstances. Those words, “My heart is steadfast,” may have been spoken through gritted teeth.
But even when praise is more of a forced discipline than a natural delight, God is undoubtedly pleased. Perhaps even more so. Like a parent especially appreciative when the teenager loads the dishwasher. Even when he doesn’t want to.
* * * * * * * * * *
So, here I am, Lord –my toes a bit soiled from getting too close to that cesspool again. But thanks to you, thanks to the power you’ve given me through praise, it’s only my toes! Thank you for pulling me away from the brink. Thank you for turning me around and refocusing me on your glorious wonders. May “my mouth be filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long” (Psalm 71:8)! Amen.
(Photo credits: www.rajschoolofmotoring.co.uk ; http://www.laradunning.wordpress.com ; http://www.istockphoto.com ; http://www.ourhealingmoments.com )
From the Inside Out 
I love this Nancy!! I love the silence while driving while enjoying a peaceful time in prayer. Enjoy your day!
I’m so glad you found the post meaningful. I am indeed enjoying this Labor Day — thank you!
I really like your words, “As soon as I recognize that the floodgates of negativity have opened, my best offensive move to close them up again is praise and gratitude.” As soon as…not after stewing for a time. I think that this is such an important reminder, and a practical way to ‘take our thoughts captive’–without the praise, it is very hard to control where our thoughts go sometimes. Grace and peace to you.
That verse you quote from, 2 Corinthians 10:5, did not come to mind as I wrote this post. But it surely highlights exactly what we must do! In the case of this metaphor, praise and gratitude can be the lasso! Thank you for your comment, Rebeca. I’m delighted that God used that sentence about the floodgates of negativity to minister to you.
I stopped listening to the radio a LONG time ago. I will very occasionally listen to a CD. But primarily, my car is a place of prayer and reflection – one of the primary ones in my life. So I resonate with this deeply. And I loved that old song – we still use it in our DVBS today. And the kids still love it. (I would add one caution? Sometimes those negative feelings that arise directly from prayer are the Holy Spirit bringing to mind something that needs resolving – so I always try to ask for wisdom and discernment. Is this from you, Lord? Do I need to do something/say something about it? Pretty soon, it becomes clear where it’s coming from – and your response is perfect for talking down the inner critic, that’s for sure.)
Good advice, Diana — add a prayer for wisdom and discernment when those negative thoughts surface. There may be words or actions called for to rectify a situation.
Now as I drive in my silent car, praying and praising, I’ll think of you doing the same!
The nature God has for us to view is amazing. I have appreciated much more after our Bible class last year about God’s glory. This pass Sunday in Sunday School, our study for that day was Psalm 104, how God has made everything and He made it good
. It is amazing how negative thoughts pop up in our mind , I am grateful I can let it go and give it to God. Thanks again for your blog. Hugs,
I’m filled with joy to think the glory study impacted your appreciation of God’s works. And oh, yes, how glorious that we can let go of the hurts and give them to God! Like the loving Heavenly Father he is, he comforts and soothes, doesn’t he? Thank you for stopping by, Laura!
Nancy,
Isn’t it interesting what happens when we STOP having the steadfast heart and praising attitude of David? Sometimes that cesspool of negativity creeps in so subtly, so gradually that we don’t realize we’re drowning in the dark abyss of self-pity until it’s too late. Those types of thoughts are easier to identify when they come on as a flash flood. However, the cesspools of negativity in our lives are harder to see when they come on gradually, like one big floppy rain-drop of disappointment after another, sustained over a longer period of time, until we’re knee deep in depression and despondency. It’s interesting to see in scripture, as well as my own life, that those times are always associated with a lack of purposeful praise. Take 2 Samuel 11 for example; David’s infamous fall (more like plummet) into sin with Bathsheba and the ‘snow-ball effect’ sins of deceit and murder. King David, the greatest (earthly) king Israel would ever know, the “man after God’s own heart,” the man who wrote “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast: I will sing and give praise” (Psalm 57:7), suddenly found himself in a cesspool of negativity.
I often wonder if this happened because he became too comfortable? When he wrote some of his greatest Psalms of praise and thanksgiving, he was fleeing for his life. He HAD to rely on God’s provision. He had daily reminders of his NEED of God’s mighty saving power. But when he became king and settled into his palace and became comfortable, I wonder if he began to neglect his praise and worship? I wonder if he started to forget who had delivered him and WHOSE he was? It seems David became to comfortable and to complacent, and isn’t that just when temptations come like a stampeding herd? And so we read that the man who once wrote “my heart is steadfast” also wrote, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3). His heart didn’t remain steadfast. His resulting plunge into the cesspool of negativity is well documented.
So the lesson from David, as your blog post suggests, is to REMAIN steadfast, in good times and in bad, whether we’re living in spiritual caves or in a spiritual palace. We must become intentionally self-aware of when those feelings of negativity start creeping in. Not that we’re just chipper and up-beat people constantly, but that in the midst of negativity, depression, or just plain old bad days, we stop to give praise anyway. “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised” (1 Chronicles 16:25), even when I don’t feel like it. This isn’t like the empty promise of “the power of positive thinking.” This is the fulfilled promise of “the power of praise.” In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s what St. Paul was getting at when he wrote to the church in Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:4-7).
Thank you so much for the reminder, Nancy. I appreciate your example more than you can possible know. Praise Ye the Lord!
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Jeremy
Thank you so much, Pastor Jeremy, for taking time to share your insights from scripture: 1) “Give praise anyway”–no matter what life’s circumstances might be. 2) Wield “the power of praise” with rejoicing and thanksgiving.
Can’t beat the outcome: the peace of God to guard and heart and minds!
Thank you for your gracious affirmation; you are an encouragement to me!
That’s great, Nancy! I learned years ago that if you want to figure out where your mind is, sit in complete silence for a while and see where your thoughts go. I am glad that your thoughts turned to prayer and worship in the silence of your car.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting, Bill. It IS a good thing to pray and worship in my car. I usually arrive places in a calm, cheerful frame of spirit!
Hi Nancy! I am happy to meet you today!
I rarely have the car radio on. The car is the one place where it can be quiet, and I love that. After my mind stops racing, I can pray. So good!
I like your point on ‘forced discipline’. I can get so focused on my intent, and get sad it’s not better. I should just do it anyway!
Great post!
Ceil
Thank you, Ceil. So glad you stopped by and left a comment. You make a good point about becoming sad when we can’t focus better, can’t perform better, etc. Like any good parent, I think God is pleased we’re trying! So let’s keep our effort strong, but not beat ourselves up because we haven’t achieved perfection!
I remember that song! I quite often change the words of old songs to make them more relevant to the children of today. Songs are so powerful, and ones with plenty of repetition are best. Hopefully they will still remember them when they grow up – I know I remember Sunday school songs I was taught as a child.
Oh, yes, songs are powerful tools the Spirit uses to transform our spirits! And you’re right about the ones we learned as children. They stay with us, and can minister to our hearts over and over again. That’s a good reminder for those of us who work with children. We’re planting seeds that can bear fruit for YEARS to come!
My favorite part of this post:
“But even when praise is more of a forced discipline than a natural delight, God is undoubtedly pleased. Perhaps even more so. Like a parent especially appreciative when the teenager loads the dishwasher. Even when he doesn’t want to.” It’s OK to feel forced sometimes and I love that.
I have a habit of listening to the radio…the political conservatives…I believe they are correct most of the time…but I’m going to stop…because they fill me with fear. The devil is using these men to do his dirty work for him…to fill Cheri with so much fear that she feels paralyzed even when giving her fears to the Lord… Good post, good advice… I sometimes will put on a CD of great operatic singers. That always feels me with joy that certain people have been blessed by God with such beautiful talent as to compare with the beauty of His nature. Loved this blog, Nancy!