When we’re feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances, the last thing we often feel like doing is praising God. But it’s the first thing we should do, because praise gets our attention off ourselves and onto God’s miraculous power. Jehoshaphat faced an army he had no hope of defeating. He didn’t know what to do. But He went into the battle with worship leaders at the front of his army singing, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever’ (2 Chronicles 20:21 NIV). While they were praising God, his enemies destroyed each other while he looked on in amazement. When Paul and Silas praised God in prison, their chains broke and the doors opened (take a look at Acts 16). We need to start to acknowledge the power of praise and choose to worship God regardless of how we feel. We can praise God too little, but we can never praise Him too much. David writes, ‘From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised’ (Psalm 113:3 NIV), and ‘I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.’ Peter wrote that challenges come so that ‘the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed’ (1 Peter 1:7 NIVUK). When we face a challenge, we can praise our way through. Because of the challenge, our faith is strengthened, and that’s something to praise God about. Whatever we’re facing right now, let’s keep praising God through it all. 

What Now?

Listen to the song ‘Surrounded’ by UPPERROOM. Reflect on that fact that we can fight our battles through praising God.