Tag Archives: put my tears in your bottle

Praise in every season

 

Do You Know How to Praise Jesus in Every Season?

 

Cindi McMenamin, national speaker and author of When God Sees Your Tears tells of her nephew Escher praying for breakfast just before he went to Disneyland:

“Dear Disneyland Jesus, Thank you for this day. Thank you for this food. Please keep us safe and healthy. Aaaaaa-men.”

 

His mom related that Escher had prayed to ‘Dinosaur Jesus’ after going to a dinosaur exhibit. McMenamin writes: “I couldn’t help but smile and think that little Escher was simply transferring the excitement of the blessing he was about to experience to the Blesser who was making it possible. I love that Escher knows Jesus is Lord of the dinosaurs and Lord over Disneyland, as well!!”

 

Jesus loved when the children came to Him. He encouraged His followers to have the faith of a child… even like those who pray to “Disneyland Jesus” who gives good things and “Dinosaur Jesus” who brings us the adventure of discovery. But how about the difficult times we face as adults and children. Can we pray “Dear Cancer Jesus” or “Dear Loneliness Jesus”? Sometimes it’s hard to pray at all. Many of my prayers have been simply, “Dear Lord,” or even a wordless groan left to the Holy Spirit to interpret to my Heavenly Father. But we must still pray and give thanks that Jesus is Lord not only over the mountain tops but the valleys of despair, not just the days of bubbling joy but also those filled with disappointment, rejection, sorrow, and pain.

 

Without praise, all we have is despair. 

 

Meeting God in every situation we face allows Him to use both the Disneyland and the Heartache experiences to transform us into His image. We forget but that is the sole (and soul) purpose of our life in Christ, to become like Him. Everything else flows from that. Yet, none of us want sorrow, grief, or pain. We’re sure we can become more like God without them. It’s hard to pray to “Chronic Pain Jesus” and “Job Loss Jesus.” But in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, either Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. As we pray to the Jesus of All Seasons, He brings us to the simple faith of a child like Escher, a faith that honors Him as the Lord over everything, even our hurts and disappointments.

 

Perhaps you will find several opportunities throughout today to pray to “All-Loving Jesus” whatever circumstance comes your way. Let your prayers be simple and your words few. Let them build your trust in the one who carries you through the good times and the bad. Do not be afraid to let your prayerful tears flow. They do not go unnoticed. Our loving God sees them and catches every one.

 

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” – Psalm 56:8 New Living Translation