Isaiah 61:3 “And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Today's episode reminds us that if we want all God has for us then we need to shift our thoughts from despair to praise. It may seem simple, but it is not easy. However, when we do, everything changes! Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Praise Series #23 Garment of Praise Instead of a Spirit of Despair
Isaiah 61:3 “And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
What drew me to this verse is the part that says, “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” I know a lot of you are struggling and have been for a long time. You are struggling medically and can’t understand why you haven’t been healed yet. You know God can heal you, you truly believe that, and so it can be depressing when you know God can do something and yet He doesn’t seem to be doing it. Or, at least not in the way you would like, or even a way you can see. Some of you are struggling financially and don’t understand why your prayers about your financial situation seem to go unanswered. You know God could “make it happen,” and yet it doesn’t seem like He is. Some of you are struggling with depression, anxiety, family issues, and all sorts of other things.
This whole praise series is to help us realize that the best way through the hard times is not to wallow in them, but to praise God through them. God doesn’t mind if you are upset with Him. If you need to yell or scream at God for your circumstances, that is ok. He is tough, He knows your heart, and He can take it. However, if you want your atmosphere to shift. If you want to stop being sad all the time. If you are tired of feeling like you have been feeling for such a long time. Then it is time to switch from despair to praise. Praise the Lord for whatever it is you can praise the Lord for.
I heard a speaker at a conference once, and I can’t remember her name, but I remember that she said she hurt her back at one point. She was newly married, she hurt her back, and she ended up addicted to painkillers. She didn’t see it at the time; she just knew she needed them for the pain. She started to just stay in bed all the time because of the pain. I think she eventually lost her husband. He just couldn’t take it anymore. She said she didn’t blame him; he really tried, but she was so wrapped up in herself and her pain, and she had nothing to give him. She eventually moved back home with her mom. She finally got tired of feeling like she was feeling. She was tired of being so sad all the time.
She said she started off slow. She would make herself go sit outside and let the sun shine on her face for 5 minutes a day. That was it, just five minutes a day. She said that when she was sitting in the sun, she would ask herself what one thing she could be grateful for. Some days, the only thing she could think of was getting outside and sitting for 5 minutes. Eventually, she started to look around, and she could appreciate the grass, the flowers, the butterflies, whatever it was around her. Five minutes turned to 10, to 20, and so on. She finally felt herself coming back to life, to reality. She found she wasn’t just sad all the time. And it wasn’t a fast process, and yours might not be either. However, she did get back to her old self again. She was happy again. She did regain her life again. Part of gratitude is praise. You are thankful for the things God has given you. Even if they aren’t perfect. You will be surprised how much your attitude and outlook on life have changed when you switch from complaining to gratitude.
Here are some simple shifts in what you are telling yourself. Instead of saying, I can’t believe I didn’t wake up till 1:00 today, you can say, I am so grateful God gave me another day of life. Some people didn’t wake up this morning, and their families will never see them again. Instead of saying that your back and side and head hurt, you can say I am grateful my feet don’t hurt. Instead of saying, I can’t believe my kid is acting out again, you can say, I am grateful I have kids and I am grateful for all the strength God has given me to deal with all the kids dish out. I am not trying to downplay what you are going through. I know it is hard. I have been through really hard times.
I have kids who were verbally and physically abusive, I have had marital trouble and almost got divorced, I have had kids who overdosed on drugs and alcohol, a child in rehab more than one time. My kids have struggled with mental health and trouble with the police. My life has not been a cakewalk either. However, I truly believe what got me through it all, well, not all the way through it yet, was my reliance on God and my gratitude for everything, the good and the bad. The bad things I have gone through have made me the person I am today. I would not understand other parents struggling as I do had I not been through it. I would not be able to reassure other parents that it is not their fault and that they are doing the best they can if I hadn’t been through all I went through. God is using me to let other parents not feel so alone. To let them know they haven’t failed. I do not judge other parents now, and I definitely did before I had children, and even when I was a young mom and didn’t know better.
I am so full of grace for others at this point in my life. When I look at a child throwing a fit in the grocery store, I do not think, “They need to get that kid under control.” I say a quick prayer for strength and peace for the parent and child. When I am brave enough, I tell my mom she is doing a great job. I have been there, I know how hard it is. When I hear about how a kid is being very disrespectful to his parents, I don’t blame the parents. I have no idea what their home life is like and what they or their children are going through. I have been there. When someone cuts me off in traffic, I say a prayer to bless them because I don’t know what their day has been like. Honestly, we have no idea what people are going through. I am not saying this to toot my own horn. I am saying this because I wouldn’t be like this if I hadn’t experienced what I have. This is why I can be grateful for the hard times. It made me who I am today. The same is true for you.
I am constantly surprised when I am in a group setting, and the most put-together people share the stories of all they are going through. We all struggle, we all have our crosses to bear. We all need to give each other grace. We need to stop judging and just love each other. Realize there is probably a reason for the behavior you are seeing, and even though you don’t know what it is, you can give grace because you know there is a reason.
I feel like that last part was a bit of track, but that is where I felt the Holy Spirit was leading me so I went with it. Back to praise. The verse above says, “And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Don’t you want all of that? Do you want a crown of beauty instead of ashes? Do you want the oil of joy instead of mourning? How about a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair? These are possible. God has all of this for you; you just have to claim it. What would you give to not be so sad all the time? What would you give to not be in this deep, dark pit that you are in? What would you give to find some joy in your life again? I promise you all of that is possible. You have to decide you want the beauty more than the ashes, the joy more than the mourning and the praise instead of the despair.
Change is hard, and you know what else is hard? Staying the same, not changing, living your entire life in the pit of despair. They are both hard. I know it may be hard for you to even get out of bed. What is one tiny thing you can do to praise God today? What is one tiny thing you can do to let God know you appreciate Him today? Again, tiny. You don’t have to go from where you are now to being Suzy Sunshine. Life is a journey we are all on, and it is not linear. It has many twists and turns. It has many hills and valleys. The way to start down the road to feeling better is to take one tiny step in a different direction, any road other than the one you have been going down. Honestly, take a minute and think about it. Ask yourself the question, “What is one tiny thing I can do to praise the Lord today?” Then do that thing every day for 30 days, and let me know if you feel any better. Many of you may discount this because it seems so easy and insignificant. But I guarantee if you do one tiny thing to praise the Lord daily, you will see a difference. God rewards the faithful. Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing, and we want to praise you. Please help us to praise you even when it is hard. Please give us the courage and the strength to begin to praise you even when we feel we can’t. Please help us to find one tiny way to praise you each day. Please give us the resilience and the perseverance to keep praising every day. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus! I pray you all have an amazing weekend! For many of us in the United States, it is a long weekend as it is a federal holiday on Monday. I pray you enjoy the day off! I look forward to meeting you here again next week! Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all else shall be added to you.”