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Just A Thought: Praise HIM

March 26, 2017 0 comments

Posted in: Just a Thought

It is easy to praise God when the sun is shining, our children are making good grades, and we’ve received a promotion at work. But when the storms come, the grades start to slip, and the pink slips are read, the last thing we feel like doing is praising God. Yet, this is the time to lift our voices to Him in praise.
When we praise God, we proclaim our faith in Him. The psalmist writes, "As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure" (Psalm 71:14-15). A sacrifice of praise is something that we offer to God – all the time. Never allow praise to become a habit or a trite activity. It is a priceless honor to kneel before Jesus our Lord and Savior.
One of the greatest misconceptions concerning praise is that it is something we do for God. Wrong! God does not need our praise, but certainly, He desires it. He knows when life takes an unexpected turn or when a serious illness lingers for months and even years, praise has the ability to lighten our hearts and fill us with a sense of love and security that can only come from HIM.
No matter how deep our sorrow or how messed up our lives… we can learn to praise God and acknowledge His sovereignty over our lives. A.B. Simpson wrote, "Lift up the hands that hang down. March straight through the flood, and the waters will divide, the Red Sea will open, and the Lord will lead you through to victory." This sounds like good advice, but what do you do when life becomes so dark that it seems impossible to praise God? How do you praise when your husband has left you or your daughter has terminal cancer? How do you praise God when you have just received word that your loved one has met a sudden death?
You begin by realizing that praise is a sacrifice - an offering to the Lord. It does not lesson our sorrow, but it will, however, bring light to our darkness - a light that Satan cannot extinguish. Nehemiah wrote, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Praise teaches us to turn our eyes away from circumstances to the One who has the ability to heal, save, renew, and mend every broken heart. “Praise Him for He is worthy to be praised!” (Psalm 18:3)

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