Praise shifts atmospheres. It can move our soul. Praise refocuses our attention on God. Giving praise in the midst of battle, in the midst of heartache, requires a deliberate choice. A choice that declares no matter what is happening around me and no matter how I feel, I will give praise to God. Even if I praise God with tear-soaked cheeks and an aching heart, I choose to fix my gaze on Him. Praise can shift our posture from being inwardly focused to instead being focused on God.
Praise is a weapon of spiritual warfare that we must regularly exercise because when the day of battle comes choosing to praise in the midst of it can be really tough. Nothing in our being may feel like giving praise. But if we have exercised and strengthened that weapon it will be easier to use when we least feel like doing it. To read more about this weapon of spiritual warfare download my book Called to Battle on Amazon.
The other day I found myself doing the bible flick. Where would I land... Psalm 77. I don't recall having read Psalm 77 before or having heard a teaching on it. As I read the words I could sense the journey of the author... starting off in that place of frustration or disappointment or anguish, believing the lie that God's favour had ended and that the best days were behind, then moving through to being renewed with hope remembering God's goodness and the miracles He had done.
I began to wonder if there was a time in my life when I'd had a similar journey to that of Psalm 77. An afternoon several months back came to mind. At the time we'd been searching for a house to buy for over 6mths and we were living in temporary accommodation (with a 15mth old) while we searched. The day before we'd gone to view a house through a private sale and wow it was like my dream home. That night we'd discussed with the owners the next step for finalising the sale. Then the follow day I got a message saying they'd decided to not go through with the sale. My heart feel like it broke into a million pieces. Our search would begin again and the house I'd dreamed of was gone. My daughter was asleep at the time I got the text saying the deal was off, so I launched myself into an all out pity party for one. I had told God that it was clear He didn't care and that He had abandoned us. And then I lay on my bed and cried. I was like the lines from Psalm 77 - "My soul refused to be comforted" and "I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed" and questioned "Has His promise failed forevermore?" (NRSV).
Of all days my daughter decided to have a short nap so before long my pity party was interrupted and I was back on Mum duty trying to play with her and not retreat back to bed and cry some more. In hindsight I think God allowed/caused her to wake early so my pity party could be stopped. For it wasn't long after she'd woken that I decided we needed to change the party to a praise party and choose to shift my posture to that of giving God thanks despite the circumstances and despite how I was feeling. I deliberately chose a couple of songs that spoke of knowing God's goodness despite the circumstances and how He is always faithful. I choose songs that would speak life and encouragement into my spirit in that moment. And the tears began again as I sung the words because the pain was still so raw but also because I believed what I was singing about God and I knew that He had closed the door for whatever reason, He didn't need to justify Himself to me. But more so, I cried because I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and love when I chose to give God praise. I knew He cared.
Over the course of the afternoon the sting in my pain began to ease and I began to thank God for the closed door, as we'd done previously when a house opportunity hadn't eventuated. My heart shifted from "This is my anguish... but I will remember the works of the Lord... Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders." - Psalm 77 (NKJV).
Praise is powerful. Praise is giving honour to God. It is a choice which we must make when we feel like it and when we don't. Your salvation may depend on it, for in the day of battle when you least feel like giving praise if you choose not to give praise to God it may be a turning point in your faith journey that is hard to come back from. Why? Because instead of giving praise you may choose to partner with lies of the enemy that would tell you God doesn't care and that's why this has happened or you don't matter or God has forsaken you so don't you even bother glorifying Him and giving Him praise because He doesn't care. Or worst still... the lie that God isn't real. And once you agree with one lie it can be easy to partner with more lies and then suddenly you doubt God and your faith is shattered.
We must praise in and out of battle. Praise is a sacrifice. Hebrews 13:15 - "...let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise..." (Amplified Bible).
Praise is a weapon of spiritual warfare that we must regularly exercise because when the day of battle comes choosing to praise in the midst of it can be really tough. Nothing in our being may feel like giving praise. But if we have exercised and strengthened that weapon it will be easier to use when we least feel like doing it. To read more about this weapon of spiritual warfare download my book Called to Battle on Amazon.
The other day I found myself doing the bible flick. Where would I land... Psalm 77. I don't recall having read Psalm 77 before or having heard a teaching on it. As I read the words I could sense the journey of the author... starting off in that place of frustration or disappointment or anguish, believing the lie that God's favour had ended and that the best days were behind, then moving through to being renewed with hope remembering God's goodness and the miracles He had done.
I began to wonder if there was a time in my life when I'd had a similar journey to that of Psalm 77. An afternoon several months back came to mind. At the time we'd been searching for a house to buy for over 6mths and we were living in temporary accommodation (with a 15mth old) while we searched. The day before we'd gone to view a house through a private sale and wow it was like my dream home. That night we'd discussed with the owners the next step for finalising the sale. Then the follow day I got a message saying they'd decided to not go through with the sale. My heart feel like it broke into a million pieces. Our search would begin again and the house I'd dreamed of was gone. My daughter was asleep at the time I got the text saying the deal was off, so I launched myself into an all out pity party for one. I had told God that it was clear He didn't care and that He had abandoned us. And then I lay on my bed and cried. I was like the lines from Psalm 77 - "My soul refused to be comforted" and "I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed" and questioned "Has His promise failed forevermore?" (NRSV).
Of all days my daughter decided to have a short nap so before long my pity party was interrupted and I was back on Mum duty trying to play with her and not retreat back to bed and cry some more. In hindsight I think God allowed/caused her to wake early so my pity party could be stopped. For it wasn't long after she'd woken that I decided we needed to change the party to a praise party and choose to shift my posture to that of giving God thanks despite the circumstances and despite how I was feeling. I deliberately chose a couple of songs that spoke of knowing God's goodness despite the circumstances and how He is always faithful. I choose songs that would speak life and encouragement into my spirit in that moment. And the tears began again as I sung the words because the pain was still so raw but also because I believed what I was singing about God and I knew that He had closed the door for whatever reason, He didn't need to justify Himself to me. But more so, I cried because I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and love when I chose to give God praise. I knew He cared.
Over the course of the afternoon the sting in my pain began to ease and I began to thank God for the closed door, as we'd done previously when a house opportunity hadn't eventuated. My heart shifted from "This is my anguish... but I will remember the works of the Lord... Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders." - Psalm 77 (NKJV).
Praise is powerful. Praise is giving honour to God. It is a choice which we must make when we feel like it and when we don't. Your salvation may depend on it, for in the day of battle when you least feel like giving praise if you choose not to give praise to God it may be a turning point in your faith journey that is hard to come back from. Why? Because instead of giving praise you may choose to partner with lies of the enemy that would tell you God doesn't care and that's why this has happened or you don't matter or God has forsaken you so don't you even bother glorifying Him and giving Him praise because He doesn't care. Or worst still... the lie that God isn't real. And once you agree with one lie it can be easy to partner with more lies and then suddenly you doubt God and your faith is shattered.
We must praise in and out of battle. Praise is a sacrifice. Hebrews 13:15 - "...let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise..." (Amplified Bible).