Praise the LordSample

#3: Still On The Why

God is consistent regardless of how you and I feel. So, do not base your praise on your opinion of God's performance. Base your praise on the truth of His Person. Base your praise on who He is. Praise is not a reward we give to God for His blessings in our lives. It is an offering to God for His person. Even though life is not going like you planned, God is still good, and He can be trusted (Heb 10:23). So, praise the Lord because in spite of our pain, God is good, He is worthy, and He deserves our praise. When you offer a sacrifice of praise to God, it is precious to Him. Instead of complaining, praise. Instead of focusing on how long the problem will last or why this is happening to you, recognize that heaven has handed you the raw materials for a sacrifice of praise. 

Praise isn't a sacrifice only in hardship, praise is also a sacrifice in abundance (Deut 6:11-12). It is easy to forget to praise when things are good. However, when we are able to lay aside the pleasures of abundance and praise God regardless, it becomes a sacrifice of praise. Why do we praise? We praise Him for His mighty works and for His greatness. Do not always tie your praise to what He has done or not done. Anchor your praise on who He is – unchanging in goodness.

In Acts 16:23, Paul and Silas were flogged, imprisoned and chained while they were doing God’s work. Imagine that! If they were to praise God only because God was blessing them, they won't praise God. But at midnight, they started to praise. They realized that this was an opportunity to grasp the attention of heaven in presenting a sacrifice of praise and worship; an opportunity a lot of people often miss out on. Praise is potent spiritually; it can change the seasons of your life. Praise is an anchor of seasons. Praise can change a season of labour into a season of favour. Praise changes the seasons of our lives and many other things.