As humans, one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given by our Creator is free will: choice. As a Christian, I realize the capacity of power in each choice I make is no small thing. It’s freeing, empowering and a huge responsibility to have the ability to choose.
Recently I spent time thinking and reading on praise and the impact it has on ourselves, our surroundings and people. Praise is so meaningful because it is a choice.
One of the greatest examples of praise in the New Testament is found in a story in Acts 16. Paul and Silas were beaten, mocked, embarrassed and thrown into jail because of the ministry they were doing unto Jesus and the people.
They were in a harsh situation, and in the midst of that moment, they made a choice. A choice to praise. The Greek word used for praise in Acts 16:25 means to “celebrate God”.
If you take a step back and think about the situation and state they were in, our human default would hardly deem that an “appropriate” time to celebrate God. They were injured, naked and humiliated, but it became the basis of their praise.
They had every reason to not “feel” like praising God in the moment. I’m sure they were exhausted, demoralized and weakened physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
But, it’s in those moments when our praise is most powerful: when we don’t feel like it.
It’s powerful because:
- It’s a reminder to yourself
- It’s a declaration to others
- It’s an aligning with God
Praising God is always powerful, no matter the circumstance. But praise when we seemingly don’t have a reason to praise, can be the most important thing we do as followers of Jesus.
After reading the story of Paul and Silas, I started thinking of other situations in the Bible where people praised when they had plenty of reasons not to:
- Daniel in the lion’s den
- Shadrech, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace
- Joseph in the pit and in jail
- David being pursued
- Paul shipwrecked, beaten and imprisoned
- Job after losing everything
In these moments of despair, pain and loss, the response was praise. On this side of the story, we know what God’s provision looked like. But in those moments, these people did not.
I learned a few things through this, first, no one, and no thing can take away your praise. The enemy can’t, people can’t and situations can’t. There is only one person on the planet who can prevent you from praising God in any situation.
You.
Because praise is a choice, and we were gifted the ability to choose, and no one can take that from you.
You may lose everything, like Job, but you will never lose your ability to praise. Sure, it may look different in the different situations in your life, but it can never be taken from you.
It’s a choice. Choose to praise.
Another thing I learned from these stories is that whining, complaining and playing the victim never got these people out of their situation. But praise did.
Praising God is the open door for Him to be exactly what we need. On top of the wonderful opportunities praise creates with God, it also has a profound impact on us individually.
When you praise, physically you are emboldened to take on the challenge set before you.
When you praise, mentally you are strengthened and realigned with the truth and power of Jesus and His Word.
When you praise, emotionally you are encouraged to continue on with a different set of strengths to pull from.
When you praise, spiritually you are ignited because you are aligned with the One who has the power to do anything!
Life is hard. We live in a fallen world with heartache, loss and pain. But life not praising God is vastly more difficult. Because praise produces hope. And without hope, there is no life and no future.
Are you in a “pit” right now in life? Whether is be from a failed marriage, a lost child, a strained relationship, hard times, lack of provision, an unrealized promise of a family or the loss of someone dear to you, praise is the answer. If praise is your first step, you will be strengthened to endure and you will put yourself in a position for God to be your savior.
As I said, life is hard. We each have hard things we endure. But, if we can glean anything from Job, Paul, Daniel and David, praise when you’re in the pit. Praise when you’re at your lowest. Praise when you have nothing else you can think to do.
If you want to remain in the pit, praise when you feel like it.
If you want to pull yourself out of the “pit”, praise when you don’t!
It will be a challenge, may even feel foreign, but choosing to praise is the most powerful choice you can make.
How can you choose praise God right now in your current circumstance or situation?
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