What Is Combative Praise?
Sunset over calm ocean waves by Stories via Unsplash
My kids were never great sleepers. Add to that a disposition toward depression that also tended to trigger anxiety, and I was basically a wreck whenever the sleep thing wasn’t going well. I prayed all the time for better sleep, but I tried to accept slow days when I was sleep deprived (I still do).
“Grace and strength for today, Lord,” I would pray, “in your strength alone.”
One day I packed up my four year old and one year old to walk to Target. As I pushed them in the stroller for the half-mile walk, the sun was shining, the fall air was warm against my leather jacket, and I could smell fried chicken, brewed coffee, and bbq from restaurants nearby. I praised God for his goodness in a good night’s rest and enough energy to leave the house with the kids. Grocery shopping, even!
Then it struck me, do I only offer God my praise when I’m having a good day? Was he not still good to me on the days I felt worn and weary? Do I ever praise him on my bad days?
And I realized, He was just as worthy of praise on the days I asked Him to deliver me as when his blessings seemed abundant in my life. And, maybe, praise could be a tool to wield against angst and despair.
On days I may not have a full night’s sleep to get through the day, I have my salvation. I may not have energy to be patient and gracious with my kids, but I have His love. And when I turn to Him in praise, I can acknowledge the ways I experience brokenness and His complete goodness. I can look back at all He has brought me through, and farther still at the proof of His love—his sacrifice on the cross, and His faithfulness through his resurrection—to prove his love and goodness to me. And instead of despairing, I can relax and let go of my ideal day, knowing He cares for me even as I struggle.
Last summer I started compiling Combative Praise playlists for friends when they’d reach out for prayer. I would pray for them and find a verse to correspond with the prayer, then I’d send the passage along with some songs of worship to help them feel their feelings fully and also turn their minds toward praise.
These actions are not mutually exclusive, in fact, we have a good example of how to do this through Lamentations and Psalms.
Combative Praise isn’t about what you say, or what you do, or how you feel about your life right now, though you can bring whatever you’ve got to God’s feet. Combative Praise is about remembering that goodness is in Jesus, and Jesus isn’t some far-off promise in your future. He is, right now, with you in your feelings and your circumstances, holding your burdens, and holding you.
I made a playlist for Combative Praise, which you can listen to on Spotify. Linked here:
Combative Praise
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This post originally appeared on the Bstro Blog on Wordpress in 2021. The words are mine, and have been edited and updated for publication on this website.
