Overcoming Pain through Praise

When going through a difficult situation, it's pretty easy to give up and curse God. "God why do you have to let all these bad things happen to me?" Actually, if God had to let all the bad things that could happen to you happen, you'd be in pretty horrible shape right now. I don't quite understand why God allows certain things to happen in our lives, but I do know from experience, that things usually work out just fine if you keep trusting him.

So what do you do when a situation seems so painful that it threatens to pushed you down, keep you down and suck all the life out of you. I've found a little remedy. You know the bible says to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, but I only knew that it worked in theory, one could understand why it would work but I never really truly understood or experienced it till now.

I have a pretty crazy personality and I refuse to be kept down, so my response to just about anything depressing is to turn up the volume on my music and go crazy dancing in front of my mirror. (Trust me, it's not a pretty sight). This time, I turned up the volume and threw up hands in praise. This praise thing is serious. You could literally feel the load being lifted off your back. You find your faith being renewed as your Spirit connect's with God's. No words are exchanged but you can literally feel God comforting you. I've had the experience where I actually felt arms wrapped around me when I needed to be comforted. Yes, praise does that.

Praise invites God's presence because He loves it when you praise Him. He comes and "chills" in the room, just basking in the glow of your praise. At the same time, your spirit is communicating the hurt that you feel and He responds. Wow. Praise is a truly beautiful thing.

I've learned to trust God again through my praise. My heavy heart has been lifted through my praise. Impossible situations suddenly became bearable after praise. Praise is pretty powerful.

I dare you today to try it. Overcome the depths of your pain with a song. You may not be able to sing it at first, but turn up the volume on your favourite CD or praise station and let the lyrics/music take your spirit into the realms of true praise, then watch God move.

Have a praise filled day.

Today's a good day because my second devotional book Trusting God with your Future is FREE for kindle. 

Trusting God with Your Future is a compilation of some of the devotionals on this blog. If you find it difficult to keep track of my postings (after all there is no schedule), or if you just want to be able to sit quietly in bed on a morning or late at night without having to navigate to the site, then grab a copy.

It's FREE until March 7, 2013

Praise God in Advance!

Our praise is one of the most powerful weapons that we as Christians have. There are many things that we can accomplish through our praise that we could never accomplish one our own. But what is praise really? Praise is the act of expressing approval or admiration. It is also the offering of grateful homage in words or songs as an act of worship. When we praise God we are telling him that we admire Him, we admire his intervention in our lives and we admire his creations.

When we praise, we confuse the enemy

In 2 Chronicles 20 we see that the Israelites were being threatened by the Moabites, the Ammonites and the Meunites. All these armies came together to fight against them. They formed a very large army and Jehoshaphat did not think that he would be able to beat them. Before he did anything, Jehoshaphat inquired of God what his next move should be. In verse 15-17 God sent his word to Jehoshaphat comforting him. The Lord said to Him “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

When I read that verse, I was comforted in my Spirit. The Lord was saying to Jehoshaphat that he need not fight, the battle was not his, but God’s.

Jehoshaphat heeded the word of the Lord and assembled his people, but he did something very pivotal, he placed the singers in front first. Not the warriors, but the singers, the praisers, those who would usher in the presence of God. Jehoshaphat knew that God resides in the praises of his people so he set up a praise. By the time they neared the enemy, their camp was in disarray. The allied army began to fight among themselves. God used the praises of his people to confuse the enemy and they were defeated without even having to fight.

Praise also moves the hand of God

In Joshua 6 we see how the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days upon the counsel of the Lord. On day seven, when they shouted, the wall of the city came tumbling down. Now, it is not the shout of the people that brought down the wall, but, upon hearing the praise, God moved on their behalf.

Praise God in Advance

Sometimes it is necessary to praise God in advance. We may see a problem that seems insurmountable and nothing that we could ever do would get us out, but praise unto God in spite of our circumstances lets him know that we trust him and we trust his judgment. It says “God, I know that you have my best interest at heart and that you will move on my behalf.” It also says “God, even if you don’t do what I want you do for me, I will still praise you.”

Praise solidifies our relationship with God and shows him that we appreciate his goodness. I encourage you to praise God in advance of your victory and watch the hang of God move on your behalf. Watch him confuse your enemies and watch your situation turn around!

PRAISE GOD IN ADVANCE!


Joana James - Author of Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret