Choosing to Praise

“Yes I Will” is the kind of worship song that you might not want to sing at first.

It’s not necessarily your typical worship song and maybe that’s why I love it so much. It talks about the hard moments of life. The moments when you actually don’t feel like worshipping God. It praises God for who He is, regardless of what your circumstances are–and then reminds you to make the choice of praising Him no matter what you feel.

I count on one thing
The same God that never fails
Will not fail me now
You won’t fail me now
In the waiting
The same God who’s never late
Is working all things out
You’re working all things out

So often I count on everything but God.

I count on my plans, or my schedules, or my activities. I count on my friends, or my family, or my finances. I even count on myself.

And when they fail, it crushes me. Because I’ve lost sight of the One who is fully reliable and the One I can count on forever, no matter what–because He never fails.

Yes I will, lift You high in the lowest valley
Yes I will, bless Your name
Oh, yes I will, sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days, oh yes I will

At first these lyrics hurt my brain. Because when my heart is heavy with sadness or fear or frustration or grief and I’m walking through the darkest, lowest valley, the last thing I actually want to do is worship or praise.

We all know we should worship and we all know we should praise, but we’ve been trained to think that worship is about us. It’s about the feeling we get or the emotion we feel. The songs we like. And that if we don’t feel just right, then maybe we shouldn’t do it at all.

Have you ever stood in church on a Sunday morning and dreaded actually singing the worship songs because your morning was a train wreck and nothing feels good right now? I know I have.

Which is why the next lyrics of this song hit me so hard.

And I choose to praise
To glorify, glorify
The Name of all names
That nothing can stand against
And I choose to praise
To glorify, glorify
The Name of all names
That nothing can stand against

I highlighted the word “choose” because the first time I heard this song, that’s the word that stopped me.

Worshipping God and praising God–whether that’s through music or service or giving or loving others or every day life–was never about us. Worship starts in our hearts as a response to God because of who He is and what He’s done–not who we are and not what we’re going through. But some days we’re not going to feel like responding to God through praise or worshipping God for all He’s done, especially when walking through the lowest valleys and our hearts are heavy.

And that’s when we have to choose.

Because no matter what we’re feeling, we always have a choice of how to respond.

Do I choose to praise God no matter what I’m feeling?

Do I choose to glorify Him no matter the valley I’m walking through?

Do I choose to worship Him no matter how heavy my heart is with all of the emotions I’d rather not feel?

Every day I have this choice. Every day you have this choice.

To put down what you’re feeling and to count on who God is. To lay down your hurts and put on praise. God doesn’t just want you to worship when everything is great and you’re walking on the mountaintops. He wants to meet you in the valleys where your heart is heaviest.

Will you choose to praise Him today?

Will you choose to say, “Yes Lord, I will lift You up no matter how heavy today feels, because You are always good and trustworthy and faithful“?

Yes I will, lift You high in the lowest valley
Yes I will, bless Your name
Oh, yes I will, sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days, oh yes I will

“Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise Him again—
     my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:11)