Yesterday, I asked God what he wanted my readers to hear this week. Immediately I thought of a book that I read many years ago,
“The Power in Praise” by Merlin Carothers. Though
I have forgotten many details, I remember the shining premise of the book, that
there is power in praising God in all situations.
It is not always easy to praise God no matter what happens.
The world with its problems can be exceedingly cruel. Life certainly is not
fair. It is too easy to give up and surrender to despair.
We can read in Acts about what Paul endured from preaching
the gospel of Christ. Soldiers bound
him with two chains. People followed after him with threats to kill him. Even when thrown in prison, he never stopped
praising God.
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Acts 21: 33 Then the chief captain
came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and
demanded who he was, and what he had done.
34
And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could
not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the
castle.
35
And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers
for the violence of the people.
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Job praised God even when his whole life collapsed and he
lost everything. Job lost all that was dear to him, his buildings, herds, his
children, and his health.
He continued
praising God even when he was covered with terrible oozing sores and his wife
demanded he curse God and die. Job's
faith held strong. He did not sin and God restored all that he had lost, and
more. He had more children, bigger herds, and more property.
We sing a song in church that goes, “We bring the sacrifice
of praise into the house of the Lord,” written by Kirk Dearman. It is hard
to sing that
when your life is spinning out of control. When we sacrifice our hurt feelings
and raw emotions to praise, power follows. God gives us strength, courage, and
the ability to carry on. He restores us. Praise Him in all things and let Him give you power to overcome. Praise Him because He is worthy to be praised.
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