Praise is a part of prayer that we often neglect in our rush to thank God for His blessings or ask urgent requests of Him. But praise is essential if we are to learn to view life from His perspective. Because, you see, praise enables us to see things from His perspective. Praise is focusing on who God is—not on what He has done or will do. David praised the Lord in
1 Chronicles 29:10-13:
"Praise be to you, O LORD , God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD , is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD , is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. NIV
In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat discovered his circumstances filled with insurmountable obstacles, and His first response was to begin Praising God as ruler over all the kingdoms of the earth, so powerful and mighty that none could stand against His will. He recalled past victories and praised God for those; then admitted, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." NIV Praise enabled him to see from God’s vantage point!
Praise allows us to place the circumstances we all face from time to time, that we can do nothing about, into the hands of Him Who ‘’is able to do far beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine’! Eph. 3:20
As a young wife and mother, I was in the midst of circumstances that were overwhelming to me. As I came to a point of thinking there was ‘no way out’, I was invited to hear Ruth Denler Myers speak. She and her husband were missionaries in Hong Kong with two young children when her husband was diagnosed with cancer. His example to her throughout his illness was one of praise to the Lord—his words to all who entered his room were words of encouragement. When the Lord took him Home, Ruth was faced with some difficult decisions and eventually decided to return to the States with her children.
What she shared that day changed my life! She talked about God’s sovereign control and loving intentions in all the circumstances of our lives; and how ‘praise’ enables us to focus our attention on Him instead of our distressing circumstances, which are God’s blessings in disguise. She said, “They rip away the flimsy fabric of our self-sufficiency making room for God’s spirit to weave in the immeasurably deeper confidence, ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me’ (Phil. 4:13). Trials bring the scum to the top in our lives, refining and beautifying us. When we praise God for a trial, we cooperate with His plan to remove the scum. When we complain, we resist His plan and stir the impurities back into our lives. This necessitates yet another trial to accomplish His purpose, delaying the unfolding of His plan for us and our loved ones….Praise is the catalyst that speeds up the maturing process in our lives.”
God had my attention; and that day I began to learn to praise God. When I choose to praise I can see my problems as insignificant in the light of God’s mighty, unlimited power and purposes for my life. I see them as opportunities rather then hindrances—as steppingstones rather than obstacles. Praise allows me to really see Him for Who He is!
Praise can enable us to have peace in the midst of suffocating, depressive, painful circumstances that we cannot change. Praise turns apparent defeats into glorious victories. “True praise is unconditional,” Ruth said. “It is not an attempt to manipulate God into producing the results we prefer. It is accepting the situation as it exists whether or not He changes the outer circumstances. Continued praise brings us to the place where we can say, "Father, I do not want You to remove the problem until you have done through it all You desire in me and in others."
That year, we were in the midst of what would be 8 moves. The circumstances appeared hopeless at the time, but God began that gentle process of delivering my heart from the oppression of my circumstances to see Him through praise. Through praise we are not denying our circumstances or our feelings, but seeing them in light of God’s character and the promises He has made to us in His Word. What a glorious privilege to praise HIM!
