Praise
Directly related to faith and godly confession is our praise. When the Chief Priests and Scribes were indignant that children were praising Jesus, Jesus answered them, saying “…Yes; have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF?’” (Matthew 21:16). Jesus’ answer to them was a quotation from Psalm 8:2: “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.” The Hebrew word translated “strength” in Psalm 8:2 also relates to praise. Thus, we are shown from the Scriptures that praise equals strength, which silences the enemy and causes the oppositions against us to cease.
We can see evidence of the strength that is released through praising God in the lives of Paul and Silas: “When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened (Acts 16:23-26). We also see this in the lives of Jehoshaphat and the nation of Israel: “When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another (2 Chronicles 20:22-23). Indeed, praising God in every situation is one of our finest and most effective weapons, which is guaranteed to bring results in the midst of every storm or battle.
The strength which is released through praise comes from God Himself because God inhabits the praises of His people (cf. Psalm 22:3). When we invoke God’s presence through our praise, the weight of His glorious presence will crush every heavy storm against us. The light of His presence will dispel every darkness brought about by every gloomy storm and the fire of His presence will consume every fiery storm raging against us. When we praise God, even when we have not yet seen the manifestation of what we desire, we demonstrate our faith in Him and also align the words of our mouth with His promises. This is faith in action that results in victory.
Praise is also how we move from weak to strong faith. We read concerning Abraham that “Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20-21). Because what’s written aforetime was written for our learning (Romans 15:4), the way Abraham grew strong in faith is a sure way for us to also grow strong in faith—continually praising God irrespective of the contrary situations because we trust Him wholeheartedly. And when we thus strengthen our faith, nothing can stand against it, not even the fiercest storm.
Kwadwo Omari, PhD
July 20, 2022.
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be discipled to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ.