Anxious? Feeling stressed? Stalked by sadness? Don't play into those emotions by rehearsing them, by making the song of your life a sad one! Instead, intentionally offer praise to God! Praise God! The act of praising Him is like the background music of your life. Complaining, whining, and going over all the
troubles that surround us will only deepen the sense of futility. The Bible urges a different response to hard times. "With Jesus' help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name." (Hebrews 13:15, NLT) We do not offer insincere words of thanksgiving and worship.
I've heard disciples respond to tough situations with 'praise' that sounded suspiciously like swearing in disguise! When a man hits his thumb with the hammer and yells, "Praise the Lord," that is not likely a sacrifice of praise. I think he is likely thinking "God d_____ it" even as he's mouthing praise! However, if that same man steps back and after shaking off the pain, offers sincere thanks to God for being present in the moment with him, he is learning to give God proper praise. We may not always be able to thank God for what is
happening to us or around us, but we can praise Him for who He is, for His enduring mercy and unending love.
The power of praise is multi-faceted. When we sincerely praise, we destroy the Enemy's ability to skew our point of view and we regain God's perspective on life. What seems like a mountain to us is but a molehill to Him. What seems to be a dead-end is really a door to "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine," (Ephesians 3:20, NIV) When we sincerely praise, we look away from our 'dis-ease' to His wholeness. The fact that we are uncomfortable in a situation is eclipsed by His sovereign control of our life when we worship.
When we sincerely praise, we release Divine Power into our lives. Praise is the protocol for entering into God's holy Presence. Psalm 100:4, (NLT) says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name." If you were invited to the White House to meet the President personally, the office of Protocol would brief you about how to greet the President, what to wear, where you would sit, and when you should stand. There is an accepted way of doing these things that preserves the dignity of the high office. God asks us to come to Him with thanksgiving on our lips and praise filling our hearts. It honors Him and lifts us up, too!
'But,' you might be saying, 'what if I just don't feel any sense of praise?'
Then, offer a sacrifice of praise! No, you don't have to thank Him for the situation you find yourself in. But you can thank Him that He is greater than that situation, that He knew what was coming your way and has prepared just what you need for this day, that He has gifted you with an eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus that your problems cannot steal away!
Take a break for a few moments. Begin to praise! God is pleased when we praise so offer Him words of worship today and then watch His glory flow into your situation.
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