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The Praise Factor

Psalms 150:1-6 – “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”

We have a secret weapon in our spiritual arsenal. It is the weapon of praise.  We were created to worship. One of the best tools available to us is the weapon of praise and worship. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”


When we have prayed, fasted, and done all we know to do, then we have to stand.  How do we stand? We stand in faith, and we stand in a place of worship. Praise will produce an expectancy in our hearts. Psalms 147:1 says, “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” 


It may look like we are surrounded on every side. It may look like things are out of control. It may look like the wicked are prospering, and the enemy is winning, but there is good news.  We have a secret weapon of praise.


We give God praise when the meal barrel is full and when the meal barrel is empty. I Kings 17:13-15 says, “And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.”  


We praise the Lord when our accounts are running low and when we have a surplus.  We praise Him when we receive a bad report and when we receive a good report. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”


We must learn to praise God in trying times, in the face of difficult circumstances, and in every situation of life.  Isaiah 25:1 says, “Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” Dick Eastman writes in his book, Heights of Delight, “Worship provides an opportunity to encounter God in all His fullness, firsthand.”

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