Power in praise!

    Last week I shared on the power of praise and thanksgiving. This week, I still find myself motivated to have that attitude of praise and thanksgiving to God. I must admit, however, that it’s an attitude we should always have. Life is already difficult as it is and we need something powerful to keep us and sustain us. 
    I found myself this evening listening over and over to a song by Elevation Worship called “Praise.” It kept playing in my heart and I believe God was simply reminding me that He wants me to praise Him no matter what. 
    The pre chorus and chorus say:
    As long as I’m breathing
    I’ve got a reason to
    Praise the Lord oh my soul
    Praise the Lord oh my soul
This is a reminder that the best time to praise God is when you’re alive. Once you are alive there will always be something to give God praise and thanks for. Every day He gives us breath, He chooses to give us life; His blessings are new every morning. He chooses to love us even when we are not very loveable; He chooses to give us His very best … even when we know we don’t deserve it. Yes, there is always something to praise and thank God for. 
    The Bridge of this song also catches my attention because it says:
    I won’t be quiet
    My God is alive
    How could I keep it inside
    Praise the Lord oh my soul 
This Bridge reminds me of king David (2 Samuel 6:12b -22). When the ark of the Lord was brought into the city of David, the people rejoiced. King David, dressed in a priestly garment, danced before the Lord with all his might. He did not care who was looking at him, he did not care what anyone thought, he was going to praise the Lord with everything that he had. He refused to keep his praise to himself and he simply let it out with everything in him. Sadly, his wife, Michal did not understand his expression of praise and thanksgiving and she scorned him. He replied that he was willing to look even more foolish even be humiliated in his own eyes (v. 22a).
    Sometimes we just have to praise God with everything that we have. It doesn’t matter what others might think or say, we know what God has done for us and we know what we want Him to do for us. Our praise may not make sense to anyone else, but our God honours it. Think about it, when we are willing to go to this level of praise, I don’t think there is anything God will withhold from us! He understands the power behind it.         
​     Years ago, I learned that there is not only power in prayer, there is power in praise. When we praise God and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, as I said last week, miracles can happen. I think it has to do with the fact that when we praise, we take our eyes off our problems and put them on God instead, the One capable of solving those problems. And, as we put our eyes on Him, we magnify Him not our problem. 
    Our God is still bigger than the biggest problem that may come our way. When we praise and choose to be thankful, the burdens are lifted because we have that confidence that our God will do what we can’t do.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. One of our most powerful weapons is praise. When we choose to praise God in spite of how we feel or what we see, God steps in and fights on our behalf. We are victorious through praise!

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