“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” — Ps 34:1

It is not hard to bless the Lord at some times. There are days when all is bright. There is no sickness in our house. No recent sorrow has left our heart sad. It is easy then to bless the Lord.

But there are other times when things are different. Business is not prosperous. Or, health is broken. We begin to say this verse, but we cannot get through it. “I will bless the Lord at _____.”

We cannot bless the Lord for the broken health, for the empty chair. Yet there the words stand. We cannot make them read: “I will bless the Lord at some times: His praise shall be in my mouth on certain days – days when the sun shines.”

It is not our business to write Bible verses; it is our business rather to bring our lives up to the standard of the inspired words. So we must learn to say the verse just as it is written.

We must learn to bless the Lord on the dark days as well as the bright days. We must learn to praise God in pain as well as in pleasure. (J. R.Miller)

“…lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.”– Luke 22:35

The Lord will always provide for His own people, who keep His company, do His will, and aim at His glory. If He sends us, though He chooses to carry the purse, our bread shall be given, and our water shall be sure.

The disciples went out unfurnished, but then Jesus commanded them; they return, and confessed that they lacked nothing, the God of providence supplied them. If we are in the Lord’s way, we may rest assured that we shall meet the Lord’s messengers bringing our supply. They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. He notices our wants, remembers His promises, times His mercies, and proves Himself a faithful God.

Have you lacked anything? for body? for soul? He Who has supplied the past, will provide for the future. Jesus is full of grace; go, and receive, that your joy may be full. Jesus is the God of providence; look to Him, trust in Him, plead with Him, and you shall never be destitute.

Believe His word, He cannot deny Himself; trust in His faithfulness, and He will put honour upon thy faith, fulfilling His own word. “Thy bread shall be given thee, and thy water shall be sure.” (James Smith, 1840)

His love in times past, Forbids me to think
He’ll leave me at last, In trouble to sink;
Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review
Confirms His good pleasure To help me quite through.

That is the law of the bond-slave and it should make us mindful of what Christ has done for us and what we should do for Him. The following story comes from an old book called ” The Preacher’s Book”, written in 1885:

“Pray without ceasing“– 1 Thessalonians 5:17

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? What is the last thing that you do as you go to bed? What occupies your thoughts, attention, and affections throughout each day? Is it communion with God? If not, why not?

Through the finished work of Christ on the cross we have access to, and the favor of, the only Being in the entire universe who has the wisdom we need for decisions, the strength we need for struggles, the love we need for relationships, the goodness we need for right living. When we pray, we enter into the presence of God and we commune with Him from our hearts.

The question, then, is not why Paul gives us such a difficult commandment—to pray without ceasing—but why we would not avail ourselves constantly of the single greatest opportunity that Christ’s blood has now provided us. We should pray, not to appease some vague sense of guilt or obligation, but to enjoy the great pleasures, pursue the great holiness, and enter the great presence of the Lover of our souls.

Pray to Him today. Pray to Him tomorrow. Pray to Him when you’re sad. Pray to Him when you’re exhausted. Pray to Him when you’re exuberant. Pray to Him when you feel empty and when you feel full. Pray to Him without ceasing.( Baptist Bible Hour)