The Power of Praise

Rejoice in the LORD always. I say it again, rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

Have you ever stopped to consider that we are told to rejoice? Commanded to really. It’s not a case of rejoice if you want to or when things are going really well. No, God wants us to rejoice always. The key is that we are supposed to rejoice in Him.

When life is not playing out according to our plan and it seems that God has forgotten who and where we are, still we are commanded to praise Him. And when we obey His commands, we are blessed. Have you ever stopped to realize that praise blesses us? God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to inhabit the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) Evil has no place in God’s presence. It’s in our darkest hour, when praise is the furthest thing from our mind that we need to praise God most. I learned this lesson when I least expected it and from such a young servant of God – my 4 year old daughter.

I was discouraged and disheartened with life. Times were very difficult and I felt so very alone. I had let my eyes fall from Jesus, the Author and Perfector of my faith, and instead focused on the burdens I had picked up. I knew that God wanted more for me than what I was experiencing but I was powerless to see the way. I was listening to the lies of the enemy. I was focused on the size of my problems and I had forgotten the size of my God.

As I was driving my little girl to preschool that morning, I couldn’t hold back the tears. I was frustrated by life and lost in my own thoughts. I turned on the CD player. I was oblivious to the song playing until all of the sudden I realized that Taylor was singing every word out loud and clear…”From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Brian Doerksen, Everlasting, Today CD). I looked into the rearview mirror and was immediately struck by the fact that she wasn’t just singing, she was praising God. No sooner did that realization strike than the words of Psalm 8:2 rang almost audibly in my ears…”From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” (emphasis mine).

I was speechless. I was so overcome by what God had just done that I nearly pulled over to the side of the road. You see, that verse had come to me in it’s entirety – complete with reference – and I had never memorized it. The week earlier, it had been one of many verses mentioned in my Bible study but it hadn’t even registered with me enough to underline it. God knew that I was losing the battle. He knew that I needed to be rescued and He used the vessel close at hand to minister to me. He ordained praise from Taylor’s tender little heart. As she lifted up the Truth of who He is, He made His home on her praises and silenced the foe and the avenger who was savagely attacking me. In that moment of recognition, I was set free! O God, “What is man that you are mindful of him?”

We are so precious to God. We are His children and He takes great delight in us. He desires to rescue us. When we are losing the battle we need to remember whose team we’re on. We need to remember God’s faithfulness in the past and trust what He’s doing in us today. He alone sees the big picture!

In Psalm 77, the psalmist is crying out to God for help. He’s distressed and his soul refuses to be comforted. He wonders if God has forgotten him. Will God never again show mercy? “Then I thought, ‘to this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy…You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Make a choice. Choose to dwell on the faithfulness God has shown you in the past. In the midst of your circumstances, trust God and bring a sacrifice of praise before His throne. Not only will He be delighted, but you will be changed for having been in His presence!

Rejoice in the LORD always. I say it again, rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 (NIV)