John 18 is the chapter that includes Jesus being taken in by Roman shoulders, Peter denying Jesus, Jesus being found innocent, and yet the Jewish crowd choosing to free Barabbas who is a robber instead of Jesus. I was a bit thrown off when I was told to do this in relation to the prayer focus of the week, which is praising God.
Reading through this chapter I am saddened about the injustice that the only perfect man had to deal with. I am saddened by Peter denying Jesus three times, when Peter was one of Jesus’ three closest friends. What does this have to do with praising God?
This seems to be the opposite of Psalms where David sings of joy and affection toward our creator. But where does praise really come from? Praise is easy when everything is going well, but when our backs are against the wall how are we likely to cope? In an uncomfortable or harmful situation, do we try to get out, or do we say what Jesus said? “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” If this is what our Lord and Savior said when he knew he would be beat and left hanging on a cross to die a painful death, should we not do the same?
To me, this is the realest praise you can offer the Lord.
To have the faith to do what needs to be done under unlikely and tough circumstances is praise of the highest. Doubling down and continuing to walk the path that has been set for you is as tough as it has ever been for me especially. There are so many distractions I can waste time with today that it’s hard to praise God when things are tough. It’s much easier to bury my head in the sand with social media, movies, video games etc than to face the path that has been set for me. This chapter reminded me of the real Christian walk.
No prosperity gospel, no sunshine and rainbows, but the real thing. Jesus lived a life that required endurance and steadfastness. He experienced much suffering during his life, and yet he spent a lifetime praising God through thick and thin. This reminded me that the real Christian walk includes this too. God does not promise riches, power, fame, or an abundance of anything of this world. However, he offers his love and his guidance through all things. This deserves praise, even in circumstances Jesus was dealing with in John 18. Reading this chapter was a great reminder for me, as I hope my thoughts about this can be a great reminder for you!
Thank you for sharing Ethan, and reminding us how important praise can be nomatter what you are going through.
To have the faith to do what needs to be done under unlikely and tough circumstances is praise of the highest., Yep! Well stated
These are great thoughts, Ethan. Your opening paragraph brings such a good perspective to praise. It should be a part of every facet of our lives - the good and the bad. Thank you for sharing!