The Day After

          What do we do on the day after? You ask, “What day after?” It is the day after calamity strikes. The day was September 12, 2001 and many people just didn't know what to do and they wanted answers. I remember that our church attendance went up. It didn't double, but it was significantly higher the day after the events of September 11, 2001. It stayed up for a time but then began to gradually go down. Everyone wanted to be extra close to God on the day after but soon began slipping away. The same thing happened to me in 2014. My home church in this area had disturbing difficulty and the people were wondering what would take place after what had happened. The following services had almost all of the remaining members present. What were they going to do? Just like the events on 9/12, people got real close to God but withing five or six months, the attendance began to get lower and lower. It might be sad to say that we may be classed as “foul weather Christians.” When things get bad, we come to church, we pray with tears flowing down our cheeks and we sincerely look for God's guidance. We can be at a maximum level after tragedy strikes whether it be patriotism or spirituality. Then, when God supplies our needs, we hang around for a bit but then the world begins to look attractive again and we are back where we were the day before tragedy came into our lives. Psalm 146:1-2 says, “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.  While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” 

          The final Psalms in the Book of Psalms begin with “Praise.” The Psalmist mentions the instruments of praise and the various conditions that exist during the time of praise. What was particularly outstanding in this particular passage was the phrase, “While I live, will I praise the LORD.” The events of the day do not remind you to praise God at that time, but rather our praise is a continual action not just during the times of calamity but always. It is sometimes worth noticing what the writer didn't say. The Psalmist didn't say that you praise only in times of trouble, but “...while I live.” That broadens the time of praise quite a bit. He went on to say that He will praise “while I have any being.” For me, the “Praise Psalms” are exhortations. It is because, I don't praise God enough. I am not continually praising God as I should. I can judge myself on that based on my own thoughts and actions. My life is simply not one that is continually praising God, but it should be. It is far better not to wait for tragedy to strike before coming to God in praise for what He is doing, has done and will do in the future. In the last several years, I have always tried to end the devotion with an item for praise, so Praise God today because He is always with us and will never leave us, both in the day of tragedy and in the day of blessing. Praise the Lord!