Psalm 92.1 “…it is a good thing to praise the Lord…” I have said very often that until we learn to praise God for who He is and what the Word says He is, we will not enjoy the benefits of praise. The Word of God says that a ‘man that lacks understanding, is like the beasts that perish’ (Psalm 49:20).
Many believers sing praise but lack the understanding of why or what praise is. When we say let’s praise the Lord, you will hear many praises Him for what He has done or what He will do. Praise has nothing to do with what God has done or will do, praise is all about who He is and what His Word says He is, circumstances notwithstanding. It doesn’t matter if things are ‘good or not’, God is who He says He is and what His Word (Bible) reveals about Him, and this is what we praise God for. We praise Him for His personality, the integrity of His Word.
It is when you are full of praise, that the fullness of God is manifested and when His fullness
emerges, He causes you to become full a wonder to your world. It is only a praise-full heart that attract the presence of God and the presence of God will give a man into wonders. Praise-full Christians are winning Christians, you cannot praise God and be a loser in life. Praise must be done however as I have said, with understanding for it to produce result. Psalm 47:7 (…sing ye praises with understanding). It is vital to understand why and how we praise God because those who praise God continuously are the ones who go from strength to strength. I believe one of the reasons many people find it hard to praise God because they are focusing of their circumstances and situation and not on God and His promises, again, this is a sign of not understanding the power of praise and the integrity of His Word.
For example, when a person is sick, instead of focusing on the sickness, you turn your attention
to God’ Word that says ‘Himself took your infirmities’. If you are going through a family challenge, your focus must not be on the problem at home but on the promises of God in His Word to bring peace in our homes. There is no problem that does not have a Word of God for it. So, if you can put your faith in God and His Word, you will never allow the problems of life weigh you down but instead, your heart will be full of praise unto God. All the promises of God in His Word are true, and they can become yours when you believe Him and give Him a heartfelt praise for Who He is… a faithful God. When I talk about God’s faithfulness, I am talking about His unchangeability “For I am the Lord and I change not...” (Malachi 3:6). So, as believers, we must believe in God not only for what we see Him do for us, but for Who He says He is… praise is celebrating the fact that our God does not change.
Faith is not only praising God for His faithfulness but also as I have said, the integrity of His
Word. I have said this many times that until we are convinced from the depth of our heart that
the Bible is the undiluted, inspired Word of God, we may never enjoy all that it has for us nor
live a true Christian life as God intended it to be. One thing amongst others that I learnt from
David is, this man was in control of every circumstance, challenges and situation of life, nothing dissuades him. The reason was found in Psalm 56:10, he said my secret is “In God, whose Word I praise, in the LORD, whose Word I praise”. What I believe David was telling us is that our praise is anchored not only on the Person of God but also on the totality of His Word. You hear people say, ‘I believe in God’ and when things happen in or around them, their life and action is contrary to what they say they believe. David says, if we claimed to believe in God, then we must also believe on the writing Word of God, this is what generate sincere praise from the depth of our heart.
When you praise at that point where the energy of the flesh can no longer carry you, God steps in and clears every opposition and gives you victory over the challenges of life. This is because our heartfelt, sincere and faith-based praise is also a weapon of war. This means, even when we are faced with battles of life coming from everywhere and anyhow, then it is the time to deploy praise. We saw and example in II Chronicles twenty in the story of Jehosaphat, in verse twenty- two in particular, “As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated”. We understand from the entire
passage that Jehoshaphat was faced with three different challenges of life and all at the same
time, he was overwhelmed and too much for him to bear. But instead of him crying or allowing the problems to sink him, he employed the weapon of praise. Like Jehosaphat, our understanding of God and His Word should lead us to deploy praise at any difficult times of life.
Notice the passage says and as praise began, the Lord took over the battle and we know the rest of the story. This is because the Word of God says “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2).
Today, as you begin to praise God even when it is not convenient, He will cause that situation to turn around in your favour in the Jesus’s Name. Your morning will spring forth and you will
become a sign and a wonder to your world!