Praising God is something we’re going to be doing for eternity. The word “praise” in the Bible according to the Strong’s concordance means to boast, to rave about, to commend, to speak well of, to laud. What I’ve learned from people in the Bible like David is that it’s always a good time to praise God. It’s even more so appropriate when you’re down or simply don’t feel like it. When we praise, we give honor where it’s due, we magnify Him and we turn our attention from our problem to our solution. Praise takes the breath God placed inside us and gives it back to Him as an offering. When we do that, something shifts in our attitude, our situation and in the spiritual realm. It invites God into our space, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were preaching and a slave girl, who was demon possessed, started taunting them. She did it for days until Paul had enough and cast the demon out. Her owners were furious because their money stream dried up. They had Paul and Silas beaten and cast into the innermost part of the prison. With their open wounds and feet shackled in an uncomfortable position, they felt it was a good time to praise God. Verse 25 says, “Paul and Silas, undaunted, prayed in the middle of the night and sang songs of praise to God, while all the other prisoners listened to their worship” (TPT). They didn’t allow their circumstances to discrete their ability to praise. Because they praised, God showed up, caused an earthquake, loosened their shackles and set them free. That night, the head of the prison and his family gave their lives to Jesus.
Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (AMP). No matter what we’re going through, how dark our situation is or how bad things seem, His praise should continually be coming out of us. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this and God has shown up. When I’m unable to get the words out of my mouth, I turn on a YouTube channel, a Pandora station or Air1 radio to bring praise into the room where I am. We have a need for the presence of God at all times in our life. However, when we need Him most, praise is one of the things we forget to do. Make a change today to bless the Lord at all times whether you feel like it or not. Start and end your day with it. You will see a difference in your attitude, your circumstances and your life if you do.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 