Isaiah 61:3
"To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty or ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness.  The planting of the LORD that He may be glorified."

    This is a scripture full of a lot of hope and promise.  In this E-Votion, I will focus on only a small part of the passage:  "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness". The word 'heaviness' refers to a person who is oppressed by fear or doubt.  With fear or doubt working in our life, we will find ourselves experiencing discouragement.  

   Think about it.  What is the opposite of discouragement?  Having courage!  Courage to face and work through the difficulties in our life is not easy to obtain.  When a person 'feels' discouraged, they are receiving a message from our enemy.  That is why it is called a spirit of heaviness.  The best way to fight fear and doubt in our lives is to put on praise as if it was a piece of clothing we wear.  In other words, practice it so much that it becomes a part of who we are.

    I live to be an optimist.  I always try to find the silver lining in what happens in my life.  That can be very hard though with all the many hardships and trials we go through.  For example, one morning I went outside to start my car.  On this day it wouldn't start.  I had left the dome light on and the battery had died during the night sometime.  It took my husband and I half an hour to find the cables, and then another ten minutes to get me on the road.

   Once I was on my way, I came upon a horrible accident at an intersection that is famous for them.  I found out that it had happened about forty minutes earlier.  It was the same amount of time that had gone by because of my car.   Earlier, my husband and I had looked at each other and praised the LORD for saving us from something through this little mistake of mine.  On that day, I saw how GOD had saved my life and property.  

   Part of putting on the garment of praise is trusting that GOD has the ultimate control of our lives.  We are safely resting in His loving hands.  Join with me today and praise the LORD when you are feeling heaviness in your lives.  By opening your heart to Him, you will gain courage and the ability to praise Him in any circumstance!