Many Christians are not aware of the importance of praise and therefore do not practice it at all, or very little in their daily lives. Very few are aware that gratitude and praise are the key to victory in their lives.
First, let’s look at what praise actually means. Praise means to express admiration or approval of the achievements or characteristics of a person or thing. Through praise, we exalt and honor and show our appreciation. Someone who has really accomplished something extraordinary is praised, for example, a general who won a great battle and thereby saved an entire nation from destruction. Saul and David were praised by the people when they returned victorious from their battles. When we talk about praising God, we are talking about reverence, exaltation, and worship.
Praise means to lift up, honor, exalt, and worship God with all our heart. We praise Him for His goodness and love and glorify Him for His redemptive work accomplished through Jesus Christ.
We can express our praise and gratitude in different ways such as through prayer, through a testimony, or through songs and music. We can thank God in thought and in words, silently or publicly. We thank Him through our inner attitude and mindset. It should be only natural for us to thank and praise God always and everywhere by simply talking to Him.
God’s Word encourages us to continually praise and glorify God. Here is just one psalm as an example (Psalm 66):
1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.
8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard!
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue.
Victory through Praise
Praise, thanksgiving, and worship honor God, lift up our souls, and bring victory in various battles at the decisive moment. The story of Jehoshaphat shows us this truth very clearly. Please read this story carefully in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.
Jehoshaphat found himself in a hopeless situation. Three kings had joined forces to destroy him and, humanly speaking, he didn’t have a chance. But Jehoshaphat took his problem to God, and how he did it is absolutely instructive.
First of all, he brings his situation to God and asks Him for help. He exalts God and takes Him at His word. He relies on God’s promises and assurances: “You have said…then You will hear and save” (2 Chronicles 20:6-9).
Shortly afterwards, Jehoshaphat receives a promise from God through His Spirit. It is a word from God! Often God used a person, guided by the Spirit of God, to pronounce the promise. Today it can just as easily be a person, but it can simply be the Word of God, which the Spirit of God opens up to us and makes clear. In any case, it is a promise from God, and Jehoshaphat believes this promise (2 Chronicles 20:14-18).
Now Jehoshaphat begins to praise and thank God with all the people of Israel. Yes, he even orders it and encourages the people to believe in the Lord (verse 19). The solution to the problem was not yet visible; the situation had not changed, the three kings were still marching in their direction, and yet Jehoshaphat began to praise God with a loud voice.
Praise is an expression of our faith! When we thank and praise God before the solution is visible, we demonstrate our faith. In this case, praise and thanksgiving is a step of faith!
And now something really strange happens (2 Chronicles 20:21). Jehoshaphat prepares his army for war, but instead of putting the strongest soldiers at the front to repel the attack and put the enemy to flight, he puts the singers and players at the front to praise the Lord. It must have been a very unusual sight. There is a whole army of soldiers, and it is led by a choir! This act proves once again that Jehoshaphat believed the Lord. He believed the word that he did not have to fight because God would fight for him.
The key verse of this story is verse 22: “Now when they began to sing, the Lord set ambushes against the people.”
Here we clearly see that victory came the moment they began to praise and thank God. Did they already see what was going to happen at that point? No, they only saw what happened when they got to the lookout point and were surprised to see that there were only corpses lying there (verse 24). God intervened when they began to praise and thank God, and this intervention only became visible when they arrived on the battlefield.
For us, this means the following: We don’t always see the result right away, but we still know that praise and thanks triggers and activates something in the spiritual world that will help us. We can praise and give thanks in faith and expect a solution to come, whatever the problem may be.
We live in a fallen world and face problems, difficulties, and temptations. Whatever it may be – illness, financial difficulties, depression, problems with your children, neighbors or work colleagues, fears or other worries – bring it before the Lord. Do as Jehoshaphat did, praise God, lean on His promises, believe, and trust in Him. He keeps His word!
And then start praising and thanking God! That is the right reaction and an expression of your faith. And God responds to it! Are you wondering why? David opens a window into the heavenly world and shows us why:
“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).
God is enthroned among the praises of Israel. He dwells in the praises! That is His home, His special abode! And when you start praising God, you come into His special abode and claim what He has promised you.
“Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23).
Eduard Albrecht
Eppingen, Germany
Be the first to comment