Praise the Lord! That is where this scripture begins and where it ends. Praise the Lord! When the world is going right, when our life is going right, when we are happy, we praise the Lord. However, often when the world is upside down and things are not going our way we tend to lean toward an angrier, upset, not praising the Lord attitude. This scripture offers us hope. And a reason to praise no matter what is going on in our world. It speaks of the amazing Love of God and how he builds up and restores.

Somewhere in our cultural mindset, we have been convinced that if we love God and serve Him that our lives will be trouble and worry-free. That is not the case! It is not what Jesus tells us. We are told that we will have trials and troubles and we will be persecuted.

With all of that, how do we praise the Lord? It is through the understanding that NO MATTER what happens in our life, that we have the promise of eternal life. This eternal life paid for by our Savior. A promise is given to those who repent and believe. Praise the Lord!