The Importance of Praise

There's plenty to praise God for, including power and peace.

Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash

It’s not always easy to be joyful. I’m easily distracted, and one of the things that distracts me is the news. As you are aware, we live in a fallen world. There’s war, death, sin, sickness, sadness — just to name a few. We read of these outer struggles in the news, but they’re also in our lives. And don’t forget inner turmoil — depression, discouragement, disappointment, and more that don’t start with D!

Satan takes advantage of our struggle, attacking us in our weakness, and it becomes difficult to follow God and remain joyful. We strive to stay positive, keep our focus on God, and remember what He’s done for us. My heart breaks to see so many in my church who are in conflict. And yet we need to find a way to rejoice.

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” ~ Epictetus

Epictetus warns us not to grieve for what we don’t have. If we focus on those things, we will fall into disappointment, discouragement, and depression.

It can be difficult to find joy when we are struggling, but if we take the advice of Epictetus, we rejoice in what we have and realize that there’s plenty to praise God for, including the power and peace God presents to us every day when we follow Him.

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” ~ Psalm 13:5–6

Plenty

There’s plenty to praise God for, starting with salvation. If you have accepted the free gift of salvation, you do not have to face death. Eternal life is something to praise God for every day. And with eternal life comes our inheritance — the promise of Heaven and eternity with Christ.

In addition to salvation, you have the Word of God. All the wisdom you need in one location, along with advice and examples.

I’ll bet you have food, water, and shelter. You likely have at least one car, maybe more. You probably have family, and if you don’t have living family, you likely have a church family. If you don’t have one, you can find one. You probably have a job, and if not, I bet there’s at least one that’s hiring that you can apply for. If you have a home, you most likely have a fridge, oven, microwave, toilet, shower, bed, and sink with running water. Consider that not everyone has these things, and they are all things to be thankful for!

In addition: sunshine on your face, the coolness of a fall day, the beauty around you, a moment to yourself. Breathing in and out — alive for one more day, a chance to share Jesus.

So many things to be thankful for and to praise God for!

God has blessed us with so many things, and anything we need we can ask for through prayer. We can trust Him to meet our needs.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” ~Ephesians 3:20

Power

There’s power in the name of Jesus. When we praise Him, we latch onto the power that works in us.

Recently, I joined a Bible memory class. We chose a verse, meditated on it, and memorized it. One week, we focused on a verse that inspired a song. There’s power there when you take the time to internalize God’s word as you pray and praise Him through song. Part of that power is overcoming sin and the attacks of the devil. Praise draws your focus back to God and what He is doing.

We can praise Him and rejoice because His power is working in us. We don’t need to dwell on the struggles; we need to look to Jesus for guidance, support, and success.

One of my favorite songs is Way Maker, written by gospel singer Sinach. Even in the darkest moments, Jesus is working: “Even when I don’t see it, you’re working . . . you never stop, you never stop working.” There’s power in that truth. He is Miracle Worker and Promise Keeper. He will make the dark moments beautiful when He shows you what He can do with them.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6–7

Peace

Praise brings peace. Our hearts darken into chaos when the circumstances around us capture our attention. Our eyes need to go to Jesus, and our hearts need to rest in His power. When we praise Him for all of the things we have to be thankful for, our hearts lighten, and we feel His peace. We feel His peace because we understand that He provides. He’s done it before and will continue to provide and care for us. When we praise Him, we focus on truth. We combat the lies of the devil and the attacks on our hearts.

Praise produces peace.

We have plenty to praise Him for, and we can see His power. We gain peace through praise.

I'll bet you can list a whole page of things you are thankful for. One of the best books I’ve ever read was One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. She challenged us to list 1,000 things we were thankful for. Maybe you can’t list 1,000 off the top of your head. Start with a few, and grow your list each day. I guarantee that as you focus on the many blessings of God, your mindset will shift. You will find peace through praise.

Challenge

My challenge to you is to start with three things you are thankful for today. Try it again tomorrow, and continue it through the week. If you think of extra things, throw them on the list. See how many you end up with!

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