“Blessed are those who know to acclaim You,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of Your presence” Psalm 89:15
One of the greatest weapons against despair, and self-pity is praise. When the world seems to piling on your back, when you are weary or unwell, despair and self-pity are a trap into which the enemy will you. This is a terrible cliff to approach. Even more risky, the edges of this cliff crumble easily under even sure feet. Once the soul falls into this pit, it is very difficult to escape. The worst part of this trap is that the enemy can entice you closer even in prayer.
“He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me” Psalm 50:23
When the soul is putting praise of God first in its praise, fully focused upon Jesus, it is virtually impossible to fall victim to this trap. The more you praise the Holy Name of Jesus, the closer you will come to Him. And, the closer you are to Jesus, the more protected from any harm you become. Jesus will draw His arms around you and sustain you. He will defend you.
I know the risk of this despair, even living a life of prayer. When my daughter was in those first months of illness, I prayed a lot. More than ever in my life. But, the enemy wasn’t giving up just because I was talking to God more. I was undeveloped as a Catholic, so easily overcome. The enemy is a persistent liar. He will work slowly upon your thoughts and heart until you start to waiver. Then, he will shove you over the edge. My prayers were constant in those months. But, they were centered on my needs, not upon God’s Will or praise. I lost sight of God. My prayers slowly became more self-focused – “do this for me..”, “I do so much for You, You owe me..” Even the Lord’s Prayer changed in my heart, from “Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as in Heaven…” to “Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, give us this day…”
When I saw this all happening, I despaired and fell. But, God rebuilt me. He gave me a spirit understanding Him better. He gave me a heart of trust. Jesus taught me that even in my greatest needs to give Praise to the Father first and foremost. I started giving praise to the Father before I asked for help. Quickly, finding myself giving the Father and Trinity praise for more of each prayer. Until, I found peace in trusting His Divine Will by offering praise throughout my full prayer time, trusting He already knew my needs and was handling them according to His Will.
Today, start this practice in your prayers. Begin every prayer by praising the Father, the Son and Holy Sprit. Give Him thanks and praise for all the graces and good things. Only after you feel you’ve sufficiently praise Him do you then offer your needs. Hint: we can never thank and praise God enough for all He’s done for us. Slowly work towards surrendering trust. To that point where you find your prayer ending and realize you didn’t present your need, and don’t feel a need to do so. God does have it covered already before you came to prayer.
Give praise and keep your eyes locked on Jesus.
“Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind,[e] he became frightened, and beginning to sink,”. Matthew 14:28-30
Amen and Amen!