PRAISE HIM! (pt 2)

PRAISING GOD IS A COMMAND

Throughout the Bible, the commands to "praise the Lord" are too numerous to mention. Angels and the heavenly hosts are commanded to praise the Lord (Psalm 89:5, 103:20, 148:2). In fact, all inhabitants of the earth are instructed to praise the Lord (Psalm 138:4, Romans 15:11). 

Now, How do we praise God? We can praise Him with singing (Isaiah 12:5), with shouting (Psalm 33:1), with dance (Psalm 150:4), musical instruments (1 chronicles 13:8), and so on. But what you actually use is your heart. Your heart must be involved, it must be connected to heaven, worshiping the King of kings. It must be genuine, filled with joy. 

However, there are those times when God did not come through the way we thought He would; The medical test comes back positive, the spouse wants a divorce, a child is wayward, the mortgage company calls in the loan. God seems so far away and praise is the last thing to bubble up from our hearts. We cannot see His goodness, and circumstances scream that He has forgotten us. To praise God in those times require personal sacrifice. That is when we bring a 'sacrifice of praise' (Hebrews 13:15), we chose to believe that, even though life is not going as we think it should, God is still good and can be trusted (Psalm 135:2). When we choose to praise God in spite of the storms, He is honored and not only that, our faith also grows deeper.

Praise God! That why we are alive!

Hallelujah!