Praise in the Waiting. Psalm 34:1

Daniel was the kind of man who fixed things. When the water heater broke, he repaired it. When his son scraped his knee, he kissed it and made him laugh. And when the company he worked for downsized and he lost his job—he figured he’d just fix that too.

But weeks passed. Then months. Resumes were sent, interviews held, promises made—and nothing happened. Bills piled up. His confidence drained. One night, sitting on his porch long after the house had gone quiet, Daniel whispered, “God, I’m doing everything I can. Where are You?”

A few days later, while folding laundry, his wife found him humming. Not a sad hum, but worship. She paused. “What’s that song?” she asked. Daniel looked up. “Just something from church. I don’t know why—it just won’t leave my head.”

He hadn’t realized it yet, but something had shifted. Praise had started to fill the silence where worry once echoed. This was praise in the waiting—when nothing made sense, but God was still worthy.

Each morning after that, he began reading Psalm 34:1:“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

He read it before emails, before bills, before even brushing his teeth.

The job didn’t come right away. But peace did. His kids noticed. His wife noticed. And for the first time in months, he noticed too—he wasn’t trying to fix everything. He was praising through it.

Two months later, the job came. A better one. One that let him mentor young men and pray before meetings.

Daniel still wakes early every day. Still reads Psalm 34:1. Because now he understands—praise in the waiting isn’t just about getting through the hard times. It’s about being changed by them.