You know that moment when it feels like everything seems to be crashing around you, and you’re just not even certain where to begin to get it all back on track? I had that moment last night. In fact, I began my prayer with these exact three words:

“God, I’m there.”

Before I could get out another word, He reminded me of a worry-silencing truth with these four words:

“I know. I’m here.”

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them.
For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT).

One of my favorite quotations recently is: “Until God opens the next door for you, praise Him in the hallway.” (There are many versions and photo memes of this all around Facebook and the Internet in general, including my own.)

Sometimes it seems like the hallway is my permanent residence. Waiting, hoping, praying, longing, and waiting some more. But then I wonder what I’m waiting for. I’m where He wants me, and He wants (and deserves) my praise from that location, in this moment.

He may have me in the hallway so that I can cheer others on as they enter their chosen or assigned doorways.

He may have me in the hallway so that I can cry with those who exit a doorway in grief or loss or realize that the door they’ve been pounding on and trying to break down held heartaches that they could have or should have avoided.

He may have me in the hallway so that I can stand beside others who are waiting, hoping, praying, and longing. He may want me to be there, with a heart of firsthand understanding, to pray with them, listen to them, and point them to the unchanging, unshakable truths in His Word.

He may have me in the hallway…until.

Or…

He may have me in the hallway. Period.

Either way, for as long as I am there, I will praise Him.

“I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (Psalm 146:2, NIV).

There’s a product available that makes it possible for writers (bloggers, in particular) to offer a “Tweet this” link following something that they think might be “quotable” or worthy of passing along in succinct form from their article or blog post. When used properly, it can be extremely helpful for spreading the word about something a reader wants to share that made an impact as he or she read the article/post. However, I am noticing that some of these bloggers are now trying so hard to be profound and “Tweetable” that their words are beginning to sound contrived and ingenuous. If not utilized properly, the tool can turn a potentially powerful statement into an arrogant plea for popularity through self-promotion.

Yet, how often do we fall into this trap in our everyday service to God and others? We give in order to be thought generous. We try to accomplish something big with a self-serving end result in mind. We try to say or write something profound with the desire of “going viral.” We post on Facebook solely to get “likes.” We try to make a difference by helping people, but in the process we become so enamored with the difference that we forget the people—not only those we desire to help but those who have been and will continue to be there beside us, encouraging us and loving us in spite of our neglect of them.

When our love for God and others provides the impetus for our actions and our words, when our giving comes from a heart of love that sees a need, a longing, and a hope and from a heart that selflessly desires to help meet that need, fulfill that longing, or offer that hope, then we will know the true joy of giving. That is the moment when we will fulfill God’s command:

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12, NIV).

He doesn’t love us so that He will be great. He loves us and generously gives to us because He is great—and good and kind and caring and patient and humble and….

Don’t set out to be profound. Don’t even set out to make a difference. From the outset, determine to care, to see the needs and hopes of others, to vulnerably and sincerely give from deep inside your heart, and in so doing, you will make a profound difference.

A spirit of gratitude and joy doesn’t depend on whether or not things go as I planned, whether or not I get that longed-for call or e-mail or text, whether or not my bank account is overflowing, or whether or not my past has left me in a present that I would not have chosen on my own.

It comes from within, where God dwells, and therefore, it need not depart when outward circumstances fail or change, because He never changes. His character is always the same.

So today, I not only rejoice in the new mercies I’m given each day to face these outward elements, but I also choose gratitude for the fact that He will not ask me to face them alone!