Vicki Medvec is a professor at Northwestern University. She did a study on Olympic medalists and concluded that the Bronze medalists were much more happy than the Silver medalists. Medvec found that the Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, leaving them dissatisfied with silver. Bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all so they were just happy to be on the medal stand.
I believe this study reveals a fascinating facet of our human nature: our focus determines our mood most of the time. How we feel isn't necessarily determined by our objective circumstances. If that were the case, Silver medalists would always be more happy than Bronze medalists because they have an objectively better result. How we feel is determined mostly by our subjective focus.
Here is another way of saying it: Your internal attitudes are more important than your external circumstances.
John Milton said, "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make Heaven out of Hell and Hell out of Heaven."
This is the very reason why Paul and Silas could sing for joy in prison. Focus. This is why Job could say, "Though He slay me, yet will I praise Him". Focus.
This is one of the biggest hindrances to really praising God, our lack of focus. Our eyes are fixed on what we might be missing out on, rather than being fixed on God.
As I have been studying Psalms 145-150, I've been amazed at how many times we are called upon to praise the LORD. In the six verses of Psalm 150 we are called to praise Him 13 times! Why does God have to request us to praise Him so much? We lack focus!
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" 2 Corinthians 4:18.

Hey, I'm just happy to be able to stand in His presence, aren't you?
Pastor Tim