Early last month was a difficult one for me. I was suddenly stricken with horrific nerve pain from a weather front, as well as unrelated nausea and fever. I was miserable. I felt like I was under attack for no particular reason. I began to take inventory of myself. I had not committed any sin. I had remained faithful to tithe. And I had no hidden hatred or unforgiveness in my heart that I knew of. Sometimes in our misery, we can have a tendency to believe God sends punishment of some kind because we've been a "bad child." Job had done nothing against the Lord and in fact, was sold out on Him 100% yet he suffered terribly with the loss of his children, property, wealth, his good name, and his health. When I realized my relationship with the Lord was stellar and yet Satan was attacking me I put my foot down. I was angry with Satan for thinking he could get me to blame God or to doubt God's goodness. I know there are those of you out there who question God or blame God for illness or chaos in your life, IE: "Why are you doing this God?" "Are you mad at me God?" "What did I ever do to deserve this?" Sound familiar? Instead of getting mad at God, instead of complaining or whining, instead of letting frustration get the best of me (which I have done I admit), I decided to praise God in the midst of my agony. I was not going to let Satan win. I wanted Jesus to hear my voice loud and clear that I was still with Him, for Him, and loved Him regardless of my present situation. The Bible is filled with examples of praise when we see His power released. There are life-changing miracles, dramatic stories of the enemy being halted or defeated, hearts being changed, and people drawn closer to Him. We have so much to praise God for, there's great power in giving honor to Him. And many of you live that truth out every single day of your lives.
Sadly, the reality is that way too often, daily struggles or constant life demands can crowd out our praise to God. For some, it really is a sacrifice to offer praise. We may not feel like it. We're struggling. We're weary of life. Or maybe, we feel like He's let us down. We think God seems distant, or against us, or that He doesn't really care about what's troubling us. Painful life blows, families in disarray, illnesses, conflicts with our spouses, etc. might have recently sent us spiraling. We must realize what can make a lasting difference. When we make the decision to fix our eyes on Him, and DAILY praise Him, no matter what is staring us in the face, we suddenly realize that God has already begun to release the grip those struggles and circumstances can have over us. One of THE MOST powerful scriptures is, "God inhabits the praises of Israel"(some translations say 'His people.') The Matthew Henry Commentary says, (quote) "This may apply to any child of God, pressed down, overwhelmed with grief and terror." There is power in our acknowledgment that He is worthy, above all else, of our worship and praise. His Spirit urges us onward, to press close to Him. That's what happened to me, that still small voice in my spirit that said, 'draw close to Me and I will draw close to you.' It didn't matter how miserable I felt, I could still sing. And I did. I looked miserable, I sounded miserable as I held back becoming sick to my stomach, but what mattered was this -- my heart was in tune with our Creator and King.
Why is praise so important? Let me count eight ways. #1) It truly gets our focus off ourselves and back on God. IT DID FOR ME! Life is not all about us though we are now living in a "selfie" focused world. (Psalm 150:2; Psalm 35:28). #2) Praise truly brings us to a place of humility. Again, IT DID FOR ME. As tears rolled down my face I realized how small I am in the scheme of things and how dependant I am on God (Psalm 95: 2-3; Psalm35:18). #3 Praise makes the enemy flee! How? Praise pushes back the darkness because evil will not stick around if we are praising God! In my case, I felt it waning, literally! (2 Chronicles 20:22). #4 Praise leaves no room for complaining and negativity. Through praise, we're focused on Him, no longer allowing too much attention to be centered around the struggles. When I began singing it wasn't long until I felt physically better, but not only that, I felt empowered. (Psalms 103:2; Hebrews 13:15). #5 Praise makes room for God's blessing over our lives. Again, praise opens the gateway of blessing as we come into the presence of our King! (Psalm 100:3; Ephesians 1:3). #6 Praise invites His presence. Oh yes! I felt Him right there. My pain which manifested as a scowl turned into a smile and joy. (Psalm 22:3; 1 Peter 2:9). #7 Our spirits are refreshed and renewed in His presence. Just as I was strengthened by His peace and refueled by His joy as I felt His presence. (Psalm 16:11; Psalm 63: 3-4). #8 Praise paves the way for God's power to be displayed. Remember what happened to Paul and Silas when they sat in prison? Though shackled and chained they kept praising God, and God sent an earthquake that shook the prison cells and broke the chains. AND... that very night even the jailer and all his family came to accept Christ. (Acts 16: 25-26).
We have a choice every day in this life... to live absorbed in worry, stress, doubt, fear, and defeat by staying tuned into the roar of the world or our own messages of doubt that play through our heads. OR we can ask God to help us take our eyes off all that is swirling around us: our problems, our mess, or the voices of others that try to convince you there is no victory in Christ. We can look up -- to Him, the One who holds it all together, and who holds us in His hands. God desires our whole hearts. He waits for us. He wants us to lean on Him, count on Him, TRUST HIM WITH ALL OUR WHOLE BEING. He longs for us to know the power of His presence in our lives. He really does desire to bless us more than we could imagine. Praise will put you in the presence of the Lord, and in His presence there is peace, there is assurance. In His presence fear melts away, problems become lighter, joy fills your heart, confidence grows, healing comes. In closing, here is a prayer for all those who reading today.
Dear God, we praise You today with our hearts and songs, we praise You for Your faithfulness, we praise You for Your great power and love. We confess our need for You, our lives don't go so well when we just spin around on our own. We struggle and worry, get weary and worn. Yet, You never leave us. Thank You for your presence. Thank You for Your care over us, thank You that You breathe renewal right into our souls when we worship You. We ask for Your Spirit to fill us now and work Your purposes through us, as we set our eyes on You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Until He Comes,
-Pat-
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