Procedure Manual Step 4:

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men

to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor

of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

(2 Chronicles 20:21)

I don’t know about you, but if I had been facing certain death at the hands of a marauding horde, my first line of defense would not have been to send out the choir. Reread today’s key verse and let King Jehoshaphat’s obedient decision really sink in.

Oh, if only I were more in the habit of having a thankful heart full of praises instead of a grumbling heart consumed with circumstances. The hard thing is, I don’t feel very thankful in that moment when problems start bumping into my happy. I just don’t feel like busting out in a praise song. I wish I did. But I don’t.

So in the midst of an unglued moment, how do I shift from having an attitude to walking in gratitude? I need a go-to script that will redirect my perspective to a better place. And I think I have just the thing. I say out loud to myself, “If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’s still a pretty good day.”

My friend just hurt my feelings. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’s still a pretty good day. Praise You, God.

My husband is running late getting home from work, and now I have to stay with the kids and miss the fun girls’ night out I’d been planning to attend. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’s still a pretty good day. Praise You, God.

My Bible study leader just asked Stacey to fill in for her next week when I’ve often told her, “I’d love to do that sometime.” If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’s still a pretty good day. Praise You, God.

I can’t authentically praise God for anything that is wrong or evil, but I sure can shift my focus to all that is right and praise Him for that. And in the story of King Jehoshaphat, making this shift — from looking at what was wrong to praising God for what was right — worked a miracle.

When the praise chorus from Judah’s front line of defense reached the ears of the opposing armies, these enemies were so confused that rather than fight against Judah, they started fighting among themselves instead. And “when the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:24). Amazing! Absolutely amazing.

Oh, how powerful it is to shift from an attitude to gratitude and to praise our God in the midst of it all. When I do this, my circumstances may not instantly change, but the way I look at those circumstances certainly does. I stop being blind to all that’s right and see so many more reasons to praise God. And when my heart is full of praise, my emotions aren’t nearly as prone to coming unglued!