Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
In 2018, my wife and I felt the call to go and plant a church with a wonderful team of people. It was terrifying to say the least. The church that we were at, we had been at for nearly six years. It was the church that we met at, and it was the church that I had learned how to lead other people.
But we knew that the Spirit was guiding us, and so we decided to make the jump. The plan was relatively simple. We had six months where our sending church would support us. But if you look at the research, up to 80% of church plants don't make it past the first year. And so the odds weren't in our favor. But we were 25, didn't have kids, and we were ready to go on a new adventure and take that risk.
The Perfect Start—And Then Reality
Our first Sunday was Easter Sunday and it couldn't have been a better setup. We had spent weeks painting the sanctuary. We redid the sound system, we got all of our volunteers prepared, and we jumped in with the greatest of excitement. Worship was amazing. People were showing up and God was being glorified. It felt like nothing could go wrong. And surely by the time six months hit, everything would be lined up for us to stay.
But some of those feelings changed. The next morning, we woke up and my wife, on a whim, decided to take a pregnancy test, and sure enough, the results were positive. Now we were excited. We had wanted kids, but we weren't quite ready because all of a sudden we started doing the math. In six months, I might not have a job, and three months after that, we would also have a brand new baby that we needed to take care of.
And when I think about all of those emotions at that time, I also remember God giving us this profound sense of reminding us to be faithful, that He had called us to this work and He would see it through.
Choosing to Praise Forever
And that's why I love our verse today. Psalm chapter 52 and verse 9 says this: "I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name, in the presence of your faithful people." Not "I will praise you when it's easy." Not "I will praise you when I understand." Not "I will praise you when it's convenient." But "I will choose to praise you forever."
And it's that second part that I think has changed over the years for me. "I will praise you for what you have done." At one point I would have looked back and I would have read that verse as a means to pick and choose all the times that God had met my expectations to say, "See how faithful our God is."
But now I realize that that verse means something a little bit more complex. We get to choose to praise God for what He has done. And the reality is, sometimes that's not what we expect. It's not what we planned. It's not what we would have done. Maybe it's not even what we would have considered to be good for the time. But God has chosen to do it nonetheless.
God Works All Things Together
The apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 8 and verse 28 that, “we know that God causes everything to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.” God is working all things together for our good. So what does that mean for us today?
It means choosing to praise God through everything, choosing to see what He's doing. And even when we don't understand, believe that it is good for us. Not because He's doing what we wanted. Not because He's doing what we expected, but because we can trust Him and His will is good, and He will bring glory to His name forever.
