Praise
- Mar 13, 2023
- 3 min read
Have you ever sat back and realized that you may be sitting in an answered prayer and not even realize it? There have been times where I’ve had to pull myself together and think, “Wow, look at where you are- this is one of your prayers.” Sometimes we can forget to acknowledge what God is doing in the now because we’re so worried about the future. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14).
No one truly knows what their future holds, but Jesus knows. Think about it- you didn’t know you would be where you are today a year ago. You may have planned it a certain way, but there was no real guarantee. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). Praise God for His hand moving in the now-it may not look like what you want but every day counts. Granted, it may be hard to praise during the struggle, but it's all worth it. Every day is a new opportunity.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in pleading for God to move on our behalf, that when it does start to happen, it's almost unrecognizable. Then when it happens, it feels strange not to call on God as much as we did. Some people may even feel like they don’t “need” God as much anymore because they got what they wanted. But we shouldn’t use God only in times of trouble or need. At the end of the day, we still need Him even after we get the blessing. Praise Him for what He’s done. Praise Him for his mercy and grace because there alot of things that we didn’t deserve.
A lot of us are expecting God to answer some big requests, but remember God also moves in the little ways- the ways we tend to forget. God can even answer prayers from years ago-that answer may have been more needed now than in the past, but sometimes we don’t see it that way.
Granted, I’ve even had to coach myself on not trying to figure everything out or why my feelings fluctuate about certain prayers-when the whole time God was already moving. I have to remind myself to release control, so that I can give honor to the only one it belongs to. I have to praise Him for every season in my life-the good, bad, ugly for it all taught me valuable lessons. Most importantly I praise Him for what I am walking in right now. Plus the enemy hates when we praise, for that is showing him that no matter what he may throw our way, it won’t knock us down. Besides, the Lord fights our battles, so we can literally knock the enemy off our feet with praise!
Even in times where you may feel lost or far from God, I bet if you just thank Him or simply wave your hands-you will feel Him come near. There will ALWAYS be something to give Him thanks about. Even if you're just praising Him for life or maybe you’ve been stubborn on your walk with God, you can just praise Him for having patience with you. Coming to God with a sincere heart of gratitude is true praise.
Like the song lyrics say, “I’ll praise him in the morning, praise him in the noontime, praise him when the sun goes down”, there should not be a time where you can’t give Him thanks. Even if you’re thinking it to yourself, God will hear that praise. It's almost like people who thrive off words of affirmations- they NEED to hear positive feedback over things they've done or how much they mean to someone. God wants that exact response- He wants you to acknowledge and appreciate all that He’s doing in your life.
Remember don’t overlook God because He didn’t overlook you.
Psalms 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands
Psalms 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name
Psalms 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well
Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that openly profess his name
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