It’s July already. Seriously? This year seems to be on fast-forward. Wait, is there any year that isn’t like this? They say time goes by quickly when you’re having fun, so I guess in the midst of all the things that aren’t going so well, there are still some things to enjoy and to be grateful for.
How has your year been so far?
What has your focus been?
Have you achieved some of the key milestones you planned for this year? If yes, super! If not, we have six months to go. A lot can happen in that time. Keep hope alive. Don’t give up. Even if the first half of the year didn’t go well, you can make a comeback this second half and win this match.
Still think.
Still plan.
Still strategize.
Still take action; make those moves that will draw you closer to achieving your dream.
And yes; pray. Pray as if all these don’t work. Pray because in the midst of taking responsibility for your life and how things turn out, there are some factors you cannot control, and some critical ones that you aren’t even aware of. So you will need help.
And lastly, PRAISE! I read two books many years back – Prison to Praise and Power in Praise – both by Merlin R. Carothers. They contain several accounts of people who experienced the help of God because they engaged in praising God. We have several accounts in the Bible too. The most popular one from Sunday School is that of Paul and Silas who prayed and sang praises to God while they were in prison and suddenly there was a great earthquake which shook the foundations of the prison, and immediately all the doors were opened and all the prisoners’ chains were loosed. Awesome. So if you’re in what seems like a hopeless situation, get your praise on!
You may say you’ve tried everything. Have you tried praise?
Hand clapping, toe tapping, hand lifting, dancing, jumping, shouting, waving, singing, playing skillfully or not so skillfully on your musical instrument – these are all acceptable forms of praise. If you don’t know how to play any of those other instruments, you can at least play the ten-stringed one, your palms… clapping, with your fingers serving as the strings. Lol.
You see, praise is a good way to stay connected to the Almighty because He lives in the praises of His people. So each time you praise, you create the right atmosphere and God invades your space. And when He shows up, light takes over while darkness and its associates flee.
Praising Him for who He is builds your faith and your confidence in Him, His character and ability, and makes you better able to receive from Him the wonderful things He’s promised. Praising Him for the things He has done takes you down memory lane as you recount the mercies and miracles you’ve experienced. Once again, your faith is built and you begin to think like Tye Tribbett sang ‘If He did it before He can do it again; same God right now, same God back then‘.
If you’re wondering why building your faith is so important, it’s simple. James put it this way: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
I find that I’m often joyful after praising God and this isn’t surprising when you consider the fact that there is fullness of joy in His presence. (Psalms 16:11) That joy is what we need to draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3) – to draw from God those things that are necessary for our survival.
So praise will equip you with faith and joy, two ingredients that’ll help you access God’s supply for your sustenance in every season. If you are not maximizing this resource yet, you can start now.
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