In This 2009, We Will...(8)

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance [Psalms 65:11 NLT].

As the year approaches its end, I am sure you will take a moment to reflect on how the year had been. No matter how the journey had been, I am sure you can find something to be thankful for.

And even if there seems to be prayers that were not answered, you need not be weary. When King Jehoshaphat faced a formidable problem, how was it solved?

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever" [2 Chron 20:20-21 NIV].

In this 2009, We Will Praise God

If you read further down the passage in 2 Chronicles 20, you will observe that they obtained victory "As they began to sing and praise". The cause of Judah's victory is given to their songs of praise. Praising God invites Him into your situation and chases the enemy away!

The most important key that opens new doors, closes old ones and advances us in our walk with God is Praise.

A few more reasons why we must praise God are:
• Praise turns our focus to God: When we don’t feel like praising, that is the exact time to jump up and praise, for it turns our focus away from our circumstance, situations and problems and turns them towards God. When we focus on our problems, we focus on ourselves and get stuck at that junction. When we focus on God, being the good God he is, he elevates us from whatever we are going through.

• Praise helps to keep us to be humble: When we praise we humble ourselves to seek refuge at God’s feet. When we praise, with reckless abandon, we don’t care how we look to others or how they perceive us. We are humble enough to know that God is bigger than any of our problems.

• God inhabits our praises: The dictionary defines inhabit as thus: to live or reside in or to dwell in, or to exist or to be situated within. From that definition it is not surprising the devil will want to keep us busy with many distractions. He wants to keep us from giving God praise. When we praise, God resides within our praises, and in his presence, there is no sorrow, heartache or problems.

May His praise continually be in your mouth in this 2009 and even as you enter a greater year, 2010. It is not too late for God to perform a miracle in your life in this 2009 – the year is not yet over.

Merry Xmas and a Fruitful New Year. May your year be crowned with the goodness of God.

Many thanks to RemiUK for permission to use her post “Continuous Praise”.

For further reading visit "The Praise Principle".