Praise in the Midst of Emptiness!
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isa. 54:17
God wants to develop in me a continual expression of praise thinking, praise speaking and praise believing. Our confession should be “there are better things yet to come”. At times we may feel alone and bewildered. Not knowing where or how God is going to rescue us from our self-created chaos. We always expect the worst. We can see it, feel it, and even dream about it. This is the spirit of foreboding.
However, when a person has made up their mind that no matter what happens they will praise the Lord, it is the key to victory. It’s important to understand that praise should not arise merely from our feelings or our circumstances. It should arise out of our will; it should arise out of a deep will-seated decision. My heart is fixed: no matter what happens I’m going to praise God.
There are many examples of people who faced a dismal future yet believed God. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, my joy is in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). Israel was on the verge of collapse with the invasion of Babylon empire yet the prophet could see victory because he was a person who would trust God over dire circumstances.
It is easy to praise God during plenty, but praise amid poverty is a true believer in Jesus! The psalmist says, “I will give praise even with my glory.” What does he mean when he says, “my glory”? Fortunately, the Bible does not leave us to wonder, because on the Day of Pentecost in his sermon in Jerusalem, the apostle Peter quoted that particular verse but he changed one word. He changed glory to tongue. He quoted it this way:” I will give praise with my tongue.” So that tells us a wonderful secret, our tongue is our glory. Why is that? Or why did God give us a tongue? Do you know the real reason why God gave us a tongue – the primary reason why you and I have a tongue? It’s to praise God with, and only when we use our tongue for God’s glory are we using it aright. And our tongue is our glory because with it, above all other members of our body, we can glorify God and use it for the purpose for which we were created.
There is real power in the words we speak. Whatever circumstances you may be encountering today, know that your Heavenly Father cares about you. Your circumstances may look bleak, but those circumstances can be changed when you speak the Word of God. Choose to have a good day; say you will have a good day; and your good day will become a reality!
REMEMBER, HOW YOU THINK will be HOW YOU WILL SPEAK. AND HOW YOU SPEAK IS HOW YOU WILL LIVE!