Worship More and Worry Less: 30 Days of PraiseSample

Did you know David got mad at God? Tucked away in the book of 1 Chronicles is the story of the death of one of David’s friends, Uzzah. In the process of bringing the ark of God back to Jerusalem, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark when the oxen stumbled. He touched the ark, and the LORD “struck him down.”

This made David angry. He stopped trying to move the ark to the City of David and left it at another family’s house for three months. The presence of the ark abundantly blessed that home. Eventually, David built a special place for the ark to reside in Jerusalem, and they went back to get the ark again, this time following all the guidelines God had given for the movement of His ark.

That brings us to today’s scripture. As they carefully moved the ark home, they worshiped like crazy. They danced and celebrated, and David proclaimed a psalm of thanks and praise. One verse of that song says, “Give thanks to the LORD for he is good; his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).

I love this story because it shows God’s grace. Even though David was angry because of Uzzah’s death, the Lord still helped him fight the Philistines. Have you ever felt as if God would not love you or help you because you were mad at Him? The truth is, our anger only keeps us from the blessings of His presence. Remember, the ark blessed the family who kept it for three months. But when David returned to God asking for help to fight the Philistines, God gave him all the help he needed. God’s covenant love never fails. It endures forever, even when our fickle human hearts get angry. If you’re angry with God, worship through it.

Journal

I’ve been angry with God. But I didn’t want to stay that way. It bothered me. If you know these feelings, write them down in your journal and ask God to help you worship Him again. He’s not angry with you. His love endures forever.