The Victory is in Your Praise
Read Psalm 42:11
There are hundreds of declarations of praise in the Scriptures. Often, praise is sacrificial. When the heart is heavy and the soul is weak, or when we’re angry and prideful, our natural reaction is to withhold praise from the only One who is worthy. But, like David already knows and is commanding of his soul in this psalm, God is faithful and our victory is in our praise!
We must learn from Israel’s mistakes. They praised God through every victory, but so quickly would begin to forget all He had done. Once they began to forget, they became lazy in their faith. There was complaining and stubbornness, idolatry and sexual immorality. Eventually, this would lead to war or some other dire situation. They’d somehow be reminded of all the Lord had done, and then drop to their knees, crying out to God for salvation. Since God is faithful and patient, He saved them over and over. And over and over they’d go back through that cycle because they’d forget His faithfulness and stop praising Him.
Psalm 22:3 says that the Lord inhabits the praise of His people. In the hardest times, are you pushing away the presence of the Lord by remaining silent, or drawing Him near by praising Him through the battle? He knows exactly what you’re going through, and He’s waiting on you to call out to Him. No circumstance can outweigh His faithfulness. Once you realize this, you can walk in victory as He becomes your joy.
There is absolutely nothing that should hinder our praise. God is only good to all those who call Jesus Lord. Of course, difficult things still happen. Sometimes on a daily basis. Sometimes it gets to be much more than difficult, but unbearable. God does allow more than we can bear sometimes, and He does it so that we will humble ourselves and call out to the only One who has ever been faithful one-hundred percent of the time.
When each of our time comes to stand before the Lord, you won’t have cash in your pockets. You won’t have a successful business, a nice car or a college degree to offer Him. Naked you came into the world and naked you’ll go out. The only thing you will be taking with you is your praise. And how you praise on earth is how you’ll be praising in Heaven. So, while you’re here, even when life is hard, praise Him! He’s taking care of you! God inhabits your praise, and He will lead you to the victory!
I’m praying for y’all and we love you! We’re saving you a seat at Community Family Church!
Pastor Tom
Want to receive news and information from Tommy Bates Ministries? Then sign-up below, it’s free!