There's Dynamite In Praise
November 2, 2022
Introduction
In my travels as a missionary-evangelist, I’ve ministered to people who speak many different
languages. But no matter where I go, I find that there is one word that is universally understood: the word hallelujah.
And how appropriate that God should have ordained this as the universal word! What an uplifting word! What blessed optimism! And what undreamed power lies hidden in those syllables!
The word means simply, “Praise the Lord.” And it’s a word that will be prominent in our vocabulary in heaven. John said in Revelation 19:1, “I heard a great voice o f much people in heaven , saying , Alleluia.” Again in verse 4, John said, “And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.” And once again, in verse 6, John declared, “I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia.”
Perhaps you’ll be surprised as you read in these
pages about the power of praise. But every Christian needs to understand this secret and practice it. I pray that you will be greatly blessed as you respond to the challenge of this book.
—Don Gossett
Chapter 1
How I Discovered
Praise Power
Iwas not raised in a Christian home, and I knew nothing of praise power until I was grown. I was
born again in a fine Baptist church, was called to preach as a Baptist, and began my preaching ministry in Baptist churches.
My wife was raised in an old-fashioned Pentecostal home. Her dad has been for many years a real Holy-Spirit, pioneer Pentecostal preacher. So our backgrounds were very different.
Here I was a Baptist, my wife a Pentecostal. But we have come along wonderfully for years together. The
Baptists stand for baptism in water ; the Pentecostals stand for baptism in fire. You get water and fire together, and you produce steam. So we have been steaming along all of these blessed years!
A few weeks after Joy and I were married, however, I had an ego-shattering experience. I was
working for evangelist William Freeman is magazine editor. Realizing the importance of a deep devotional life, I would get up every morning and pray for an hour. Joy usually prayed at another time, and since our apartment was small, she couldn’t help overhearing me.
“Honey,” she said one day, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “I would suggest that one of these mornings you make a tape recording of your hour- long prayer. Then, instead of going through all the rigors of praying like that every morning, you could just turn the recorder on and let it play.”
“What do you mean by that?’ I replied, somewhat surprised.
“Honey,” she said kindly, “I don’t mean to embarrass you, but honestly, you say the same things every morning in exactly the same way, and it’s just an hour of repetition.”
“It is?” I asked in amazement. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Well, you just think about it,” she replied, going back to her work.
Some weeks later, in our evening prayer time that
we always had together, Joy said, “Honey, the Lord has been so good to us, why don’t we just devote this evening to praising the Lord, instead of asking? Let’s just give Him thanks for all His benefits to us.”
“A whole devotional time devoted to praise?” I thought. “I don’t think I’m up to that!”
Furthermore, the very idea of praising God without asking Him for anything bothered me, just from a theological viewpoint. I had done a considerable amount of reading on the subject of prayer, and one of the authors I most admired taught the very practical view that prayer is made up of one basic essential: asking . He taught that while praise , thanksgiving, and singing are good, they are not the same as prayer. Prayer involves the simple process of asking and receiving . Now here was my wife suggesting we spend a whole devotional time not asking for anything — which in my mind was equivalent to not praying!
“No, Joy,” I insisted. “We’re going to pray. Praise is all right, but we have to pray.”
“But, Honey,” she protested, “isn’t praising God the same as praying?”
“Not at all,” I replied. “Prayer is asking. The answer to prayer is receiving. Praise is something else altogether.”
“I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. “It seems that we hardly ever praise God.”
“Joy, you just don’t understand,” I countered. “Why don’t you get that book on prayer out of my library and read the chapter about asking? I’m sure it’ll help you.” Then, after a thoughtful pause, I said, “Now, let’s get down to business here and start asking God to provide for our needs.”
I was quite stubborn about it, and she went along w it h m e . However , my wife had experienced a wonderful deliverance from a nervous disorder just before I met her. For eleven long months of her young life, she had been tormented by a mental oppression that had been a great trial to her.
“You’re not going to live to see twenty-one,” the Devil would torment her.
“ What a terrible thought ! ” she ’ deeply with in herself, not realizing the source of her thoughts.
“Yes, you’re going to die,” the Devil said unfeelingly, “and very soon!”
She’d cry and cry when those tormenting thoughts came, but nothing she did drove them away. She bought her clothes with the thought in mind that she would die young in life, and that possibly the dress she was buying would be among her burial clothes. The incredible thing about the Devil’s ability is that he made her believe for a time that God was telling her she was going to die.
Then the bouts of depression became unbearable. She began to think that if she were going to die so soon, she ought to stay awake and squeeze as much out of life as was left. She frittered away the nights doing this and that. Finally, knowing that she had to go to work in the morning, she’d try to get some rest. But by that time, she was too keyed up to sleep. So she’d spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, often struggling with cold chills and tormenting imaginations.
For eleven months, it was like living in a clear plastic bag. She could see everyone around her, but she was in a different world. From time to time, people peered in at her, but never quite understood her fears. On Sundays, she’d go to the First Assembly of God where her father was the pastor,
and would play the piano and vibraharp. But her heart wasn’t in it. Through the week, she tried to busy herself with the endless duties of her managerial position in a department store. But no matter how busy she was, still the haunting thought lingered in the back of her mind: “You’re going to die soon. It won’t be long now.”
In desperation, she began a careful study of God’s Word to see if she couldn’t find an answer to her fears. Much to her delight, she found that God makes abundant promises to His people of long life, as well as all our hearts’ desires. And since her desire was to invest her life in the Lord’s service, she began to feel somewhat encouraged.
“But what if these thoughts about death really are coming from the Holy Spirit?” she’d ask herself. “What if God is trying to warn me?” So it became a seesaw existence. As long as she looked at the Word of God, she felt at peace. But when she allowed her attention to return to her old fears, nothing would give her any peace except the tranquilizers she’d been using.
“If only I could be sure that these thoughts about death are not from God!” she thought. But then it
came to her very clearly one day that God would never speak anything to her by the Spirit that contradicts His Word. And the Word said very clearly that long, abundant life was her portion! It is the Devil who comes to kill, steal, and destroy! (See John 10:10.)
Gradually, as the Word of God did its work, Joy began to be free—not all the time, but as often as she wholeheartedly gave herself to the Word of God. In those times, she found herself praising God more and more. And the more she praised Him, the greater the victory she experienced.
The last depression she experienced happened on an Easter Sunday evening. Her grandmother had come to visit the family for the day. Easter Sunday was always a very busy day for Joy’s family, and in the midst of all the hurry and scurry, hardly anybody noticed that Joy was in another of her dark times.
When they all went to church that evening, Joy was feeling about as low as anyone could feel. She played the piano as usual. And when it came time for the Chior to sing , she played the organ beautifully as ever. But inside she was at the breaking point.
“ Oh God , ” she cried within herself lf , as she mechanically guided the mallets over the keyboard, “I can’t stand it anymore! I’ve done everything I know to do. I’ve prayed. I’ve fasted. I can’t stand another service like this—nor another day of work! It’s just too much, Lord!”
As soon as she finished playing her instrument, she sat down beside her grandmother on a front pew.
“ Grandma , will you go home with me ? ” she whispered. “I’m really sick.” Realizing that Joy must be quite troubled, she agreed to go. So the two of them tiptoed out of the service and walked the block and a half to the parsonage.
As soon as they entered the house, Joy went to her bedroom and threw herself across her bed, crying her heart out until there were no more tears to cry. Grandmother, realizing that Joy wanted to be alone, sat in the living room and prayed silently.
As Joy lay there pouring her heart out to God, again the Holy Spirit began to tell her to start praising God. She knew it was a crucial moment when the Lord was asking her to yield herself once and for all to a life of praise. This was her only way out.
“Here I am, Lord!” she cried. “I yield myself to You!” And from the depths of her being there welled up a mighty torrent of praise to God.
From that night on, Joy was free. No more tranquilizers were needed . Any time a cloud of depression came, she found that praising the Lord completely dispelled these spirits of gloom and heaviness.
So no wonder my young bride was sold on praise! And no wonder she found it difficult to understand my strange ideas about the distinctions to be carefully observed between praying and praising!
As she shared her experiences with me from time to time, finally the truth about the power of praise began to break across my spirit. I found myself going back to the Bible again and again to see if what she was saying was true. The more I searched, the more I was overwhelmed with the abundance of biblical teaching about the
importance of Praise . Finally, I began to agree to spend some of our devotional time in giving praise to God. Amazingly, I discovered greater blessings, more joy, and more marvelous things happening as we praised the Lord together.
I soon learned that prayer and praise are the two wings of spiritual power. There is no conflict. “In ev ery thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God , ” declared Paul in Philippians 4 :6 . Als o , “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). So as I opened my heart to the Word , Slowly Began to drop my prejudices against praise , and I discovered some tremendous workings of God in my life.
I encountered this great Scripture: “Thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). The Lord inhabits our praises. That is, the Lord manifests Himself as we praise Him. The word inhabits means “to live in, dwell in.” So this was a revelation to my heart—that the mighty God dwells in, lives in, manifests Himself in our praises.
I will always thank God that He used my lovely bride to guide me into this praising principle. Now, after these many years, the Lord has kept my wife’s nervous system strong. She has given birth to our five healthy children, she has had two very critical miscarriages, and through it all her nerves have been strong and well. Any time Satan has sought to afflict
her nervous system, we have courageously employed praise power, and God has responded by healing those nerves.
I have often said that no person will ever have a nervous breakdown who practices praise power. Why? Because God inhabits our praises, and where God is working, no nervous condition can prevail. Fear, worry, grief, frustration—all of these negative factors that help produce a nervous breakdown are forced out through joyful praise to God.
I’ve never known a Christian who practices praise power to land in a mental hospital. Praise is so harmonious with God’s expectation of us that it is the power that makes our lives fragrant with heaven’s best.
Chapter 2
Praising God Continually
One of my first experiences of the power of praise came during the first year my wife and I were
married. We were driving to the West Coast, when our car had motor trouble in the mountains. Not possessing mechanical ability, I was unable to get the car going again.
Then along came a man who was a mechanic, and I thought he would be able to get the car rolling again. After much effort, he gave up. He did offer to push my car with his in an attempt to get the motor ac tive.
After a few miles of pushing me up that mountain, he honked his horn and motioned me off the highway. He explained that he could push me no farther, as his car was heating up. He then offered to send a tow truck to tow me to a garage. Upon inquiry, I found that it was 45 miles to the nearest town, and the towing service would be $2 per mile. That totaled $90, and I had only $15 left for the
remainder of my trip.
I thanked the man for all his efforts, but told him my wife and I would have to do something else in our dilemma.
That “something else” was to turn to the Lord. We got out our Bibles and began to read. After about 15 minutes of Bible reading on that lonely mountainside, we felt the Word had inspired our faith adequately to ask God for a miracle.
With our whole hearts we asked God to undertake for that dead motor. Never can I forget the thrill that came to me when I turned on the ignition, stepped on the starter, and the motor started right up! How happy I was as I zoomed up that mountain at 50 miles an hour!
I was praising God with a loud Voice , until suddenly the motor coughed and started dying again. When it started dying, so did my praises.
My wife said quietly, “Honey, it is easy to praise God when all is going well; why don’t we sacrifice praise to God?”
I pulled the car to the side of the road and asked God to forgive me for my sin of inconsistency:
praising God when the car was running well, but ceasing to praise Him when the car acted up again.
After we’d sacrificed praises to God for some time, we continued on our journey. During those last 450 miles to our destination, the motor cut out a few times more and gave indication it was stopping again. But I just praised God all the stronger each time, and we made it all right that night. There is power in praise.
This does not mean that everything that comes along is of God; it simply means that we give thanks to God for the assurance that whatever the problem, God has the solution! Hallelujah!
The more I experimented with the power of praise, the more I kept digging into the Scriptures to see what else I could find out about the subject.
One day I was sitting at my desk when I came across a verse in Hebrews 13 that arrested my attention: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (verse 15).
“How could anybody praise God continually?” I asked myself in bewilderment. “I can see that it’s
good to praise God, but surely not all the time!”
Knowing that the best way to interpret any given verse of Scripture is to study its context, I began to think about the basic message of the book of Hebrews. I recalled the many contrasts that the author pointed out betw een the Old and New Testament priesthoods, blood offerings, and sacrifices. In all these matters, the promises of God through Jesus Christ are better than the old covenant.
The improvement was especially apparent in the area of sacrifices. Whereas the smoke of Old Testament sacrificial offerings ascended from the altar continually, now in New Testament times the one sacrifice of Jesus made all other sacrifices unnecessary.
“But wait a minute!” I said. “It’s only a partial truth to say that God doesn’t require sacrifices anymore. True, He doesn’t require sacrifices for sin, but He does require sacrifices of praise. That’s what it says here: ‘Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God.’”
I hesitated a moment before I added that trouble some word : “ continually. ” thinking that maybe, just maybe, there might be a faulty translation here, I decided to see if I could find any other
passages that might shed some light on the subject. I did! I found Psalm 34:1: “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
“Not again!” I fumed. “That’s even clearer than Hebrews 1 3:1 5 ! And if David was blessing and praising God at all times in Old Testament days, then what’s wrong with me? Why don’t I praise God more than I do?”
“Watch out!” another voice warned. “You don’t want to make a fanatic out of yourself, do you?”
Immediately I recalled several Christian friends I’d known who had made spectacles of themselves by continually praising God. When you met them on the street, the first thing they’d say was “Praise the Lord!” They’d even say it in a restaurant or a bank, and it embarrassed me to be seen with them.
But then I began to say to myself, “But praising the Lord too much isn’t my problem; my problem is not praising Him enough!”
“Mmmm, now, I don’t know about that,” that other voice replied. “You praise God a lot more than most people.”
“But that’s not the point!” I insisted. “God says
here that we’re to offer the sacrifice of praise continually, not just once in a while.”
I tilted my chair back on two legs and just sat there and thought for a while. And, believe me, I had something to think about! God was telling me that He wanted me to live a life of praise. He wanted me to praise Him while I was driving and while I was filling out my tax forms. He wanted me to praise Him while I was taking out the garbage and while I was taking a bath. He wanted me to praise Him in good times and bad. Anytime. All the time.
“All right, Lord,” I said finally. “If that’s what You want, who am I to say no?” And I made a covenant with God then and there that I would begin praising Him in all things.
That was a major breakthrough, although I can’t say that I fully understood the mystery of praise and why it unleashed such great power in my life. Not until some time later did it become a little clearer.
One day I was drawn back to Hebrews 13:15. As I read it over again, I noticed that the writer defined praise as “the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” The word “fruit” caught my attention. I remembered how Jesus had said, “Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit” (John 15:8). While there are many ways in which we may bear fruit as Christians, here is one sure way: by “the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Every time we give thanks and praise to the Lord, we are bearing fruit. The more we praise Him, the more fruit we bear. The more fruit we bear, the more the Father is glorified! And the more the Father is glorified, the more His power is unleashed.
Another term that interested me in the passage in Hebrews was the word “sacrifice.” We are to offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That suggested that we are not to praise God only when all is going well. We are to praise Him continually. Even when we do not feel like it, we are to sacrifice praise.
That is what God wants. When circumstances are dismal and gloomy, sacrifice praise. When sickness strikes our bodies and our will power is reduced to nil, sacrifice praise.
I knew I had found a key Bible truth. God commands us to offer to Him the sacrifice of praise continually, feelings or no feelings. Good days and bad days, in fair or foul weather, whether we are up or down, in sickness and in health: sacrifice praise.
It came to me with fresh impact that praise is not optional for the Christian. God expects it of us. He expected it of me. I was not doing God a big favor by praising Him; I was simply obeying Him.
Sometimes we encounter objections from men that praise is fanatical, emotional, or unmannerly. But we do not offer praise to please men. We know that “whoso offereth praise glorifieth me [God]” (Psalm 50:23). Our praises always glorify the Lord.
Of course, it is possible to offer praise insincerely, mechanically. But real heart praise unto God always glorifies Him.
And it is not sufficient to say, “Well, I praise the Lord in my heart.” That is good. But God wants us to use our voices to praise Him. Vocal praise is what God requires. “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard” (Psalm 66:8).
For Practical Application
Here is a simple ten-point outline with supporting Scriptures, which will be a practical help to you in learning to praise God at all times. I suggest you commit this material to memory, and quote it aloud
when you are feeling deprressed , discouraged , or indifferent. Then act on the instructions of the Scriptures, and victory will be yours!
1. God’s command for New Testament Christians:
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
2. The vow of David, the man after God’s own heart: “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).
3. The practice of the first Christians: “And [they] were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53).
4. The will of God for every Christian: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
5. A vital proof of the true Spirit-filled life: “Be filled with the http://spirit....giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18, 20).
6. The chief function of the royal priesthood: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show
forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
7. The way Bible believers begin every gathering:
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).
8. A message to be heeded from the throne: “And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great” (Revelation 19:5).
9. The Christian’s obligation as long as he has breath: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).
10. A habit to be practiced all day long: “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised” (Psalm 113:3).
Chapter 3
When All Else Fails,
Try Praising
Iwas invited to speak at a church that had undergone deep testing. Satan had assaulted this church with
confusion, division, and defeat. Before the morning service, several people spoke to me about the great anxiety of their hearts for their church.
“We’ve not had a soul saved in our church for over a year,” one lady told me.
Another one said, “Our services have been dry and barren for so long.”
“Our young people are indifferent to the Gospel and the workings of the Spirit,” declared an elderly Christian.
Yet all of these people told me how they had been praying and crying out to God to send revival to their church. One said they had been meeting part of a day each week for intercession on behalf of their
dilemma. This had gone on for about two years. Yet everything registered failure in their church activities.
That morning I preached on “ Affirming God’s Promises by Praise.” I challenged this sincere group of people that God’s promises are “yea and amen in Christ Jesus.” (See 2 Corinthians 1:20.) I assured them it was not the will of their heavenly Father for them to go on defeated.
When I came to the close of my message, I shared with them this dynamic Scripture: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). I told them that continual prayer for their needs was not wrong, but now was the time for them to take their answer by offering thanks for God’s guarantees to bless, save souls, and send revival.
I invited everyone to join with me in fervent prayer, acting upon Matthew 18:19, “that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” We agreed in prayer that the Father would work by His Spirit to save souls that night! Then we agreed for a spiritual refreshing to the people.
I also encouraged everyone to embrace with me Mark 11:24: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” We desired souls to be saved, for God to bless us with the manifestation of His presence. So I told the people to believe we received those things, and to thank God we had them. By believing, the things we desired were ours!
I encouraged everyone to lift hands with me in an act of faith and give thanks to God for granting the things for which we had just asked, and for which they had been asking for so long.
I then read Colossians 4:2 again, emphasizing the latter part, “Watch in the same with thanksgiving.”
“Now people,” I said, “throughout the afternoon I want you to do some watching for this service. I want you to watch with thanksgiving, just like the Bible commands. Every time you think of our service tonight, look up and thank God for saving souls, healing sick bodies, blessing, and meeting needs.”
The people were stirred to go out and do that very thing: Watch with thanksgiving!
Many of them told me later that night how they
had done just that. One lady said, “Normally during the afternoon, I would weep for our church, and beg God to undertake. But this afternoon, instead of being anxious about our meeting, I just held my heart steady and strong by praising the Lord. I kept watching with thanksgiving.”
And God, who watches over His Word to perform it, certainly responded to us that night! Even before the main service was underway, two young people were convicted of their sins and their need of Christ, right at the youth service prior to the evangelistic meeting. Both accepted Christ!
Six more were converted in the evangelistic service when I preached . What rejoicing there was that night, after eight souls were born again! The Lord confirmed His Word “with signs following” (Mark 16:20), and everyone who entered into the service was abundantly blessed.
All agreed that it was our “ watch with thanks giving ” that produced such heavenly manifestations. Yes, we can pray and pray and pray, but we must believe God’s Word. By thanksgiving, take what He has provided. Hallelujah!
What about your needs? Have you asked, prayed,
and begged God? Now is the time for you to begin offering thanks by faith for what God has promised.
I charge you to give yourself to “watching with thanksgiving.” You have surely prayed long enough. Thank God for doing exactly what He has promised to do, and I assure you, God will respond.
“Thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).
In 1955, I was conducting evangelistic meetings at a church in Willamina , Oregon . On the closing Sunday, we had a record-breaking Sunday school attendance.
Pastor Harry Olsen asked me to prepare to speak to the whole group in the main auditorium of the church, for there were many unsaved people present.
At the appointed time, I spoke to the people, including the many unsaved visitors, about Jesus Christ, salvation, heaven, hell, and related subjects. I made a firm invitation for the unsaved to accept Christ that morning. We sang “Just As I Am” and waited for sinners to come to Christ. Sadly, no one responded.
I appealed again, being deliberate and forceful in
presenting the claims of the Gospel to them. We sang “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling.” Again to my keen disappointment, not a person moved toward the front to receive Christ as personal Savior.
I knew there were many who needed Christ, and I refused to stop that invitation in failure. So with all the urgency I could muster, I told them of the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the calling of the Holy Spirit to them—that day. We sang another invitation, and I stood there stunned by the lack of response.
I bowed silently for prayer on the platform, asking the Holy Spirit for guidance. Suddenly this Scripture flashed into my mind: “Thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).
With this guidance of the Holy Spirit, I then asked every Christian in the auditorium to join me in an offering of vocal praise to the Lord. At first many Christians were reluctant to praise the Lord , especially with so many visitors in the church. But I continued to lead the people in this wonderful offering of praise that mightily pleases the Lord.
Actually, the true spirit of praise doesn’t drive people away: it attracts them. In Acts 2:47 the early Christians were “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” People desire reality in Christ . They Don't want a dead tradition , a worthless formality. People crave reality. When we praise the Lord, we are not being obnoxious or disorderly. Praises to the Lord are beautiful, harmonious with heaven, pleasing to God.
As we praised the Lord that morning, the Spirit of God Hovered on that service in mighty power . Suddenly, without any further pleading on my part, unsaved people began to come to Christ . Men , women, and young people came to Jesus for salvation. Tears were streaming down the faces of sinners as they made their way forward.
I stood back, amazed at what I was witnessing. God was inhabiting our praises, and souls were being saved—many of them.
At the close of that glorious invitation, we counted more than 20 people who has joyful accepted Christ that morning!
It is always right to praise the Lord. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23). Every time we praise Him, we glorify His name.
Someone may ask, “What about the Scripture that says ‘let all things be done decently and in order’?” What about it? That’s 1 Corinthians 14:40. All things in worship are to be done “decently and in order.”
But tell me, please, is there anything disorderly about praising God? Praise is God’s order. Man’s o r d e r in r e lig io u s w o r s h ip m a y b e c e r e m o n ia l, ritualistic, formal. But God’s order is dignity, life, and liberty. There is absolutely nothing undignified about praising the Lord. Nor is there anything indecent about praising the Lord!
When all else fails, praise prevails. Human persuasion, begging with tears, and all else often fails to produce anticipated results. But praise never fails to bring God’s response to us, with our needs and circumstances.
Why does praise prevail? Because God inhabits our praises! Remember, praise is the language of faith, and faith is the victory (1 John 5:4).
If you are sick, begin to praise the Lord, saying, “By His stripes I am healed.” (See Isaiah 53:5.) You can’t say “Praise the Lord” ten times without a smile coming to your face, and your circumstances being changed. Multitudes have been healed by praising the
Lord.
Dr. John Lucas, Sr., has been a veteran minister for many years across Canada. He is now past 90 years of age at this time, and going strong for his Lord. I asked Brother Lucas his secret of such strength and vibrancy at his age. Pastor Lucas told me, “The reason God has kept me in good health is that I praise the Lord often. Yes, praising the Lord is the reason I’ve enjoyed such benefits from the Lord.”
It is sometimes a characteristic of elderly people to become grumpy and whiny in their advanced years. Bu t I ’ v e m e t m a n y e ld e r ly C h r is t ia n s w h o h a v e learned, like Pastor Lucas of Calgary, Alberta, to praise the Lord; and God keeps them cheerful and bright for Him.
Often when I preach on the blessings of praise, I emphasize the tremendous benefits that come to those who praise the Lord daily. And w hile the benefits of praise are abundant, we miss the mark if we praise Him for benefits only.
I praise the Lord because I believe in praise. God’s Word abounds w ith hundreds of c hallenging Scriptures that call me to praise the Lord.
I believe it is a good thing to praise the Lord often. I believe God is immensely pleased with our praises.
I believe I am in the center of God’s perfect will when I am giving Him thanks in everything. I believe this is the sacrifice God wants of me: to praise Him c ontinually.
Yes, I actually believe in my heart of hearts that praising the Lord is right, scriptural, God-pleasing, and an evidence of the true Spirit-filled life.
I believe that in heaven we will join the redeemed of all ages in praising the Lamb who was slain for us. Praise is the heavenly language. I believe I draw my heart heavenward every time I employ my heart and lips in praising the Lord.
If you believe in praise, then join me. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3).
As long as I live it will be a rule engraved on my tongue to bring praise like fruit for an offering and my lips as a sacrificial gift. I will make skillful music with lyre and harp to serve God’s glory, and the flute of my lips will I raise in praise of His rule of righteousness. Both morning and evening I will
enter into the covenant of God: and at the end of both I will recite His commandments, and so long as they continue to exist, there will be my frontier and my journey’s end.
Therefore I will bless His name in all I do, before I move hand or foot, whenever I go out or come in, when I sit down and when I rise, even when lying on my couch, I will chant His praise.
My lips will praise Him as I sit at the table that is set for all, and before I lift my hand to partake of any nourishment from the delicious fruits of the earth.
When fear and terror come, and there is only anguish and distress, I will still bless and thank Him for His wondrous deeds, meditate upon His power, and lean upon His mercies all day long. For I know that in His hand is justice for all that live, and all His works are true. So when trouble comes, or salvation, I praise Him just the same.
—Praising God at All Times (Column X, Manual of Discipline, Dead Sea Scrolls)
Chapter 4
So You’d Rather Praise
in Private?
One of the biggest problems many of us face in praising the Lord openly is that of overcoming our
natural inhibitions. We almost feel embarrassed to praise God, simply because nobody else is doing it. And all of us understand how difficult it is to do a thing that no one else is doing, especially if it is quite certain that the doing of that thing will bring ridicule from others.
I recall a childhood incident that illustrates this point. During the Depression, our family was often embarrassed by many things—but then almost everybody was poor, so the embarrassment was bearable. But I remember that my dad finally got an electrician’s job in Enid, Oklahoma, so we moved there, thinking our circumstances might soon improve.
However, it wasn’t long until he lost the job, and
we were compelled to move back to our old home. The trip had to be made by bus, and Dad had only enough money to buy tickets for my mother, my sister, and me. (My little brother was able to go free.)
“ But how will you get home ? ” mother asked anxiously.
“I’ll hitchhike,” Dad replied. “It won’t take long.”
So he took us to the Enid bus station, where we were to wait until our bus arrived. My dad, however, left on foot for the edge of Enid, carrying his heavy electrician’s gear.
About an hour later, we boarded the bus for our journey home. When we arrived at the outskirts of Enid, on the main highway leading out of the city, I suddenly spotted my dad standing beside the highway, hitchhiking.
When I saw him, I sprang from my seat and exclaimed, “That’s my daddy!” My mother was most embarrassed by my excitement, because she felt badly that my dad had to hitchhike home while we rode the bus.
But I was proud to see my dad, and I said it again, “There’s my daddy,” as the bus rolled past where he
was standing.
Everyone on that bus knew that was my father. and probably everyone knew why he was hitchhiking—but I didn’t care. I was too young to realize how embarrassing this was to my mother. I only knew that I loved my daddy and was mighty proud that he had paid the price for my ride home.
When I was twelve years old, I came to the solemn realization of what Jesus paid for me when He gave His life for my sins, took my place on the cross, and gave me a place in heaven forever. But not until many years later, through the gentle ministry of my wife, did the Holy Spirit strip away the inhibitions that kept me from praising Jesus without embarrassment. I’m glad that I can now say that I’m proud of Jesus. I love to brag on Him and tell others about His glories.
D. L. Moody once told of an elderly man who gave a public testimony at one of his meetings. He had lived most of his life on “Grumble Street,” he said. But after he became a Christian he moved to “Thanksgiving Street.” Even in his advanced years of accepting Christ, he was full of thanks to the Lord who had saved his soul. The joy of gratitude was
written all over his face.
Often we should take inventory here and ask ourselves this personal question: Do I have a thankful heart? If we do not, we are hardly worthy of the name Christian.
But true thanksgiving is not complete until it is expressed. It must become vocal. Some excuse themselves by saying, “I am grateful in my heart.” That’s good, but it is not acceptable to Jesus. Praise must be expressed openly. Remember the ten lepers of Luke 17? (See verses 11–19.)
There is so much discouragement in this world. Most of us are quick to complain but slow to give thanks to God.
I believe that many people who need healing today would be completely delivered if gratitude toward God were expressed. And especially those afflictions of the spirit nature (fear, worry, burdens, depression) would be healed every time we would offer praise to the Lord.
I ask you, friend, where do you live? If you live on Thanksgiving Street, you are a healthy person, spiritually sound. Satan seeks to get us to focus our
attention on our problems, pains, and persecutions. In doing so, we cease being praisers of the Lord, but become fretters about our problems.
One of the sobering facts of life is that we have enemies: people who criticize us, find fault with us, and seek to demoralize us. But “if God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We know we are Christians by the grace of God. When we consider His love, we should turn to the Lord in an overflow of thanksgiving.
Friend, if just now you are chafing under the cruel blows of criticism, breathe a prayer for your critic, then turn to the Lord in praise, and I assure you that the spirit of praise will revive your disturbed heart and give you the inner assurance of victory in your Lord!
Chapter 5
First Praise—Then
Increase
P r a is in g G o d is t h e s e c r e t o f h a v in g in c r e a s e d blessings in your life. Therefore I would suggest that you take the following verses as key principles to live by every day of your life: “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us” (Psalm 67:5–6).
When we praise the Lord, then increase, abundance, and provisions come, and God will bless us. If you need God to undertake for you in your deficient living, begin to praise the Lord; then you will experience increase. God promises it. And God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).
God will bless us after we praise the Lord. Not only when all is well. Not just when we are perfectly healthy and sound. Not only when all our bills are paid. But right in our adversities—that’s the time we
praise the Lord. Then God will bless us.
There is a story that tells of two angels who come from heaven every morning and go on their rounds all day long. One is the Angel of Requests. The other is the Angel of Thanksgiving. Each carries a basket. The basket belonging to the Angel of Requests is soon filled to overflowing, for everyone pours into it great handfuls of requests; but when the day is ended the Angel of Thanksgiving has in his basket only two or three small contributions of gratitude.
One fact that the Spirit of God has burned into my heart again and again is this one: Most people miss the tremendous power of praise.
A missionary in China was living a defeated life. Everything about him seemed to be touched with sadness. Although he prayed many months for victory over depression and discouragement, no answer came. His life remained quite the same. He determined to leave his post and go to an interior station where he could be quiet and spend long hours in prayer until victory was assured. Upon reaching the place, he was entertained in the home of a fellow missionary. On the wall of his bedroom hung this motto: “Try thanksgiving.”
The two words gripped his heart, and he thought within himself, “Have I been praying all these months and not been praising?” He stopped and began to praise the Lord, and was greatly uplifted. Instead of hiding aw ay to agonize in prayer, he returned immediately to his waiting native converts to tell them about praise power. Wonderful blessing resulted from h is t e s t im o n y , a n d t h e n a t iv e c o n v e r t s w e r e e n c o u r a g e d t o b e g in p r a is in g t h e L o r d . M a n y bondages were broken as a result.
Mrs. Charles Cowman tells of the power of praise in her own experience:
It was a dark, dark night in my life when the words “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion” (Psalm 65:1) were impressed upon my mind. I had been waiting in prayer for months. The months were now stretching into years—piled up, as it were, before God. Couldn’t I now wait in praise before I saw the answer, or must I wait for signs and wonders before I believed His Word? God was waiting for me to take this final step in faith, and when I began to praise Him for the answer, to wait in praise, to “rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7), He began to answer in a
manner that was “exceeding abundantly above all” that I could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). The possession of the secret of victory has transformed my life and filled it with unutterable gladness.
Remember: Prayer asks. Praise takes, or obtains, the answer.
But when we come to pray, there is often the experience of the Enemy making us “sin-conscious,” with a keen sense of unworthiness. This is a real damper to effective prayer. So before we do anything else in approaching God, we are commanded to “enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good” (Psalm 100:4–5). Start positively in approaching our wonderful and holy God, by praising Him.
Have you ever met a Christian whom you really like to be around? That person has probably learned the secret of praising the Lord. I know there are so many who go around with sour attitudes toward life, and expressions on their faces that look as though they had been weaned on dill pickles. But those who have vitality and zest for living have learned the
secret of praising God. When we learn this lesson of praising the Lord often, we have learned the secret of one of the most satisfying experiences of life.
A woman approached me at the close of a Sunday night rally at the Queen Elizabeth Playhouse in Vancouver, where I had just preached. She looked cynical, worried, frowning. She told me how she had sought healing, but to no avail. What should she do?
“First of all, you need to start being a joyful Christian, for the joy of the Lord is your strength,” I said to her. “I’ve noticed you all evening with a sad countenance. If Jesus has saved you, He will change your life. He will put a spring in your step, a song in your heart, a smile on your face, and will give you a zest for living.”
I continued, “When you get home with these two ladies who came with you, I want the three of you to sit down and begin saying slowly, sincerely, ‘Praise the Lord,’ ten times. If you don’t have a smile on your face by the end of that, you will probably never smile at anything. It is impossible to say ‘Praise the Lord’ and frown. Try it. It just won’t come out.”
Whether they took my advice or not, I do not know, as I never saw them again. But this much I
know: this advice has worked for me. I have never been quite so joyful a Christian as I’ve been since I learned to praise the Lord.
Practice praise power! Praising God has power to lift your spirit, loose you from your bondages, and give you victory in every circumstance. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
Do we as Christians realize that there is due to God from our lips “the sacrif ice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15)? Have we endeavored to measure up to the expectation of God, “In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)?
So many ask and keep asking of God, but are slow in the matter of acknowledging the blessings God has so bountifully given and promised. Surely this would not continue if we realized how precious to God are His people’s praises.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. (Psalm 95:1–2)
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11)
Rejoice evermore. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.
(Psalm 150:6)
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. (Psalm 92: 1)
Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9)
If I had never received a single benefit from praise, I still would know it is right. God’s Word abounds with this subject from cover to cover.
Praise power has brought so many wonderful benefits. When the Lord made Himself real to me as a teenager, He planted in my heart to sing often, “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul.” Oh, the wonder of His love as I would sing to Him over and over this beautiful chorus!
In San Francisco, praise power brought to me a magnificent baptism of the Spirit, with the initial
p h y s ic a l e v id e n c e o f s p e a k in g in o t h e r t o n g u e s . Appropriately, this mighty baptism came to me on Thanksgiving Day!
Praise power brought a miraculous healing to my wife when she was dying with rheumatic fever in 1953.
Praise power broke the bands of poverty in those days and brought God’s supply of our material needs.
Praise power has brought so many personal benefits. When X-rays revealed I had a critically enlarged heart in 1949, praise power brought an instantaneous deliverance.
If I were you who are sick, I would daily stand my ground boldly and fearlessly, rebuking the Enemy in the name of Jesus. Then practice praise power. Praise the Lord by repeating this Scripture: “By His stripes I am healed.” (See Isaiah 53:5.) That is honoring Jesus for what He has provided. Praise Jesus for what He has given. Remember: first praise —then increase.
If I were you who have unsaved loved ones in your family, I would embrace this promise of Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house.” Begin to praise the Lord for the saving of your loved ones. I’ve known o v e r 3 0 0 0 c o n v e r s io n s t o C h r is t a s p e o p le h a v e embraced this promise and acted out their faith by praising God, until the answer came and the loved ones came to Christ!
If I were you who are oppressed by fear, I would praise the Lord aloud and declare the liberating truth of 2 Timothy 1:7: “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
If I were struggling with a bad habit, such as smoking or drinking, I would praise the Lord for deliverance even before the habit was broken. Your practice of praise power manifests the forces that w ill b r e a k e v e r y c h a in a n d b r in g a b u n d a n c e o f blessing.
Chapter 6
Praise: The Key to Power
In my travels on the North American continent and across the seas, I’ve ministered to many races of
people who speak different languages. However, one happy thing I’ve always discovered among God’s people is that the English word that is the very essence of praise is found almost unchanged in every la n g u a g e . T h a t ’ s t h e w o r d h a l l e l u j a h , w h ic h is indeed the universal word.
The word hallelujah means literally, “Praise the Lord.” It is one of the most common words in the Bible, for it appears hundreds of times in God’s Word. For example, the last five psalms begin and end with the words, “Praise ye the Lord,” which means “hallelujah.” It would be a good thing if our speech always began and ended the same way each day—with praising the Lord!
It is proper to use our tongues for praise, to obey the oft-repeated command of Psalm 107:31: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for
his wonderful works to the children of men.” We can, of course, use our tongues in other ways if we choose. Some men use them to curse and blaspheme. Christians shrink from using their tongues in such a way, but some do use their tongues in other ways that are not pleasing to the Lord.
For instance, to use your tongue in grumbling, complaining, criticizing, gossiping—these uses of the tongue grieve the Lord.
If you choose to use your tongue in negative, gloomy talk, all you will get is a pickle-like disposition and a sour-faced appearance, which will make you unwelcome company to others.
I want to challenge you to this “hallelujah living,” this praising principle, that will keep your life full of jo y a n d b le s s in g s . T a k e n o t e o f t h e f o llo w in g characteristics of praise.
1. Praise works wonders. Many of God’s people today have discovered the secret that God’s people learned long ago. When King Jehoshaphat appointed singers to say, “Praise the Lord; f or his mercy endureth for ever” (2 Chronicles 20:21), then the Lord fought on behalf of His people. Yes, praise still produces blessed victory—today!
2. Praise is the secret of faith. The Bible is clear that faith is all-important in receiving healing, and true faith contains the vital element of praise. When you believe with all your heart that “by his stripes I am healed” (see Isaiah 53:5), you will praise the Lord by faith as much as if you had already received. And God honors that kind of faith. Hundreds have submitted testimonials to us that they have been c o m p le t e ly h e a le d b y d e c la r in g w it h t h e ir w h o le hearts, “Thank You, Jesus; by Your stripes I am healed!”
3. Praise precedes the baptism of the Spirit. God does not baptize grouches. I’ve heard many hundreds of baptized believers testify that the victory came as they praised God for the gift of the Holy Spirit by faith. I’ve often witnessed the same in our meetings. Before Pentecost, the 120 were “continually... praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53). It is the same today: praise to God gets us near to Him who is the Baptizer. A continual flow of praise characterizes the one who is truly Spirit-filled (Ephesians 5:18–20).
4. Praise brings God’s response. Psalm 22:3 assures us that the Lord “inhabits the praises” of His people. Many times we’ve discovered that praise will
bring the presence of God into our hearts in a blessed manner. When clouds of depression hang low, praise will drive them away. The famous English evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth, used to say, “If it’s a blue Monday, lie in bed a few minutes praising the Lord.”
Yes, we have abundant reasons for praising the Lord. We can praise Him for the natural blessings, for life, for health, for strength, even for the ability to work. One person said, “I complained because I had to get up early, until one morning I couldn’t get up.”
We should praise the Lord for the food we eat. Jesus set an example for us in offering thanks before eating. Millions of people, especially in other parts of the world, went to bed hungry last night, had nothing to eat this morning, and will go to bed hungry tonight.
We should praise the Lord for spiritual blessings. Think of the wonder of salvation—eternal life—and all it means to be truly saved from sin and hell. Then think of the wonderful baptism of the Spirit. Yes, and the refreshings that come from the Lord, and His manifest presence in our souls! How blessed we are, and how we should praise the Lord continually!
5. Praise is personal. The appeal of the Bible is,
“Praise the Lord.” No one else can substitute for you in this choice exercise. Sinners can’t praise the Lord, for they have no personal relationship with God. And lukewarm Christians won’t praise the Lord, for they do not have an up-to-date fellowship with the Lord. They are like those people in the wilderness journeys of Israel who tried to keep the manna over to the next day. It did not work for them. (See Exodus 16:14–21.) And trying to exist on yesterday’s blessings will not work for us.
But we should want to praise the Lord. We know from Scripture how very much it pleases God. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23). We should want to praise Him, for it is always His will that we do so (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Neither sinners nor cold Christians can truly praise the Lord, so we who walk with Him closely must praise Him often. The response it brings is so sacred and deep! Hallelujah!
6. Praise is proper. Our praise is to the Lord Himself. True praise keeps us humble before the Lord, for humility is complete dependence upon the Lord. We know that whatever blessing we have been to others, it is all of God, and He should have the
praise and glory. If we have a special gift or ability, from where did it come? Yes, it proceeded from the Lord, so the praise belongs to Him. “It is a good thing to praise the Lord.”
In healing services where the power of the Lord is present to perform real miracles, we always encourage people to praise God with all their hearts, for He alone is the Divine Healer.
We take our cue also in praising the Lord from the greatest saints in the past. Praising people are the heroes of Bible exploits. After they had crossed the Red Sea, the children of Israel were led by Moses in singing a song of praise, and Miriam with her timbrel le d t h e w o m e n in a n a n s w e r in g c h o r u s . D a v id brought the ark of God to Jerusalem with shouts of praise. Solomon led Israel in praises to God at the dedication of the temple. The angels at Bethlehem let the shepherds hear their chorus of praise. In praising the Lord w e w ill alw ays be in good c ompany. P r a is in g p e o p le h a v e a lw a y s b e e n G o d ’ s g r e a t e s t saints!
The twelve disciples and Mary, the mother of Jesus, employed their tongues “continually praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53).
7. Praise puts us in tune with heaven. When we praise the Lord, we are actually in tune with the heavenly language. Heaven will be full of praise. Revelation 4 relates how the 24 elders fall down, casting their crowns before the throne of God, and worship the Eternal One. Revelation 5 tells us of a vast host, “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (verse 11), who give praise to the Lamb.
Then Revelation 7 speaks of a great multitude that gives praise to God. Those who are bothered with what some call “excessive noise” in praising the Lord in this life will have some adjustments to make in heaven. Over there the noise will be as “the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings” (Revelation 19:6). What will they say? “Alleluia!” (verse 6). Shouting hallelujahs down here is indeed speaking forth the wondrous heavenly language! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
The Psalms have been called the “Hymnbook of the Hebrews.” Psalm 150, the last psalm, ends with the words, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord” (verse 6).
I believe it has been divine providence that the one universal word should be hallelujah, which means “Praise ye the Lord.”
Hallelujah living will keep you in the main line where the Holy Spirit is working His supernatural wonders. Practice the praising principle and your life will be God-pleasing and will fulfill His best and highest purposes for your life!
Questions to Ask Yourself about Praise
1. Am I a “fair-weather Christian” who praises the Lord only when all is well and my circumstances are ideal? (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
2. Does my life lack that overflowing spirit of praise that characterizes those who are rooted, grounded, and established in the faith? (Colossians 2:6–7)
3. Have I submitted myself to the Lord to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, by “continually praising and blessing God”? (Luke 24:53)
4. Am I a “draw-back Christian” in whom God has no pleasure, because I withhold joyful, unceasing praises to my Lord? (Hebrews 10:38)
5. Am I neglecting the thanksgiving and praise that are essential to an effective prayer life? (Philippians 4:6)
6. Do I fully comprehend that every time I offer words of praise to God, I am truly glorifying Him? (Psalm 50:23)
7 . Am I e x p e r ie n c in g t h e v ic t o r y in s p ir it u a l warfare that can only be brought about through praise? (2 Corinthians 10:4)
Praise unlocks heaven’s portals; Praise causes doubts to cease; Praise brings precious blessings; Praise leaves the sweetest peace. Praise breaks all bands asunder; Praise sets the captives free; Praise lightens every burden; Praise is the master key.
Praise changes circumstances; Praise establishes the heart; When praise becomes perpetual, Praise is a Holy Art.
—Frances Metcalfe
I challenge you: practice the praising principle.
P r a is e is p r e c io u s . P r a is e is p o w e r f u l. P r a is e is personal. Praise pleases God!
Chapter 7
The Attitude of Gratitude
Ask yourself this question: Do I possess the attitude of gratitude? Nine out of ten people are ungrateful, practicing base ingratitude, failing to give praise and thanks to God. This is a Bible fact!
God has a warning about the consequences of losing the attitude of gratitude: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21). Ingratitude extinguishes the light of God in your heart. God declares ingratitude the mark of a foolish heart.
Ten lepers were miraculously cleansed by Jesus, but only one had the attitude of gratitude. (See Luke 17:11–19.) He had cried, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” He realized it had been mercy from the Master that had healed him. Only as you recognize that you possess God’s gifts by grace and mercy can you be truly grateful with a loving, worshipful heart.
This one leper pleased Jesus with his giving of thanks. He “glorified God” (Luke 17:15) by his r e t u r n in g t o g iv e t h a n k s . T h is is w h y it ’ s s o important. Praise, thanksgiving, and real gratitude always glorify God.
God is not the only One who benefits from our g r a t it u d e ; G o d a ls o b le s s e s u s a b u n d a n t ly a s w e praise Him. The early Christians were “continually... praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53). This is a vital secret of their power with God.
Right now God wants to restore to you the power of praise. Try it! You will discover the source of a power undreamed of in this world. Christ has already p r o v id e d f o r y o u a c o m p le t e v ic t o r y o v e r s in , iniquity, sickness, and infirmity when He died on Calvary. Now apply that vic tory by faith. And remember: the language of faith is praise.
The attitude of gratitude is one that must be cultivated. “Seven times a day do I praise thee” (Psalm 119:164). Set aside seven times a day to praise the Lord. It will produce wonders in your soul. “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee” (Psalm 119:62). During the first week of each month, rise at midnight to give thanks unto the Lord. I
guarantee you, you will have a closer walk with Jesus than you have ever known!
Praising God and expressing gratitude to Him is one of the most important occupations of any Christian. That is why the psalmist said,
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:1–3)
Inventors have given us remarkable discoveries and inventions that have made living easier and happier. Writers have compiled many volumes of excellent literature. Singers have been gifted to hold great audiences spellbound by their talented voices. Ar t is t s w it h r a r e a b ilit y h a v e d r a w n m a g n if ic e n t pictures, and we marvel at their work. Presidents and kings have executed some revolutionizing judgments that have changed the course of nations. But none of the world’s greatest men and women have ever done anything half as great as when a child of God praises, exalts, and glorifies Jesus, the precious Son of God. No one has ever done anything so noble as to give Jesus a few minutes of glorious praise.
We were created by almighty God so that we might have fellowship and communion with Him. The psalmist told us that our utmost purpose in being created was to praise the Lord and give Him glory.
In contrast to this statement, one of the earliest sins of humanity was failure to praise the Lord.
The apostle Peter received the revelation of God’s expectations of His people:
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
The Old Testament priesthood had to offer up animal sacrifices, but we, the “royal priesthood,” are to offer sacrifices of praise.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. (Psal
