I have been talking a lot about how when we choose joy, we actually choose God. And about how to choose joy when things get harder. We discovered that thankfulness and continual prayer helps us. Last week, we realized that there is not just power in our prayers, there is power in our praise. Today, I want to talk about the importance of praise.
When was the last time you praised God?
Maybe you have been praising God all day today. Praise and worship are critical to the well being of our souls. There is importance in praising God, maybe more than I imagined.
Recently, I tuned into a local worship service through Facebook. However, I noticed something was missing. There was no praise portion of the worship service.
Later in the week, during my regular time with God, I seemed more restless than usual. Struggling to focus on scripture or even to pray, I turned to YouTube and found one of my favorite Praise playlists. As I closed my eyes, I began listening to a series of praise songs. The music soothed my soul and allowed me to move into a place of worship. Praising God somehow led me into His presence.
Praise leads us into God’s presence.
Scripture encourages us to praise God. But until you do it, you just can’t know all the benefits that comes with that praise. When we praise God, we experience God. In those moments, God gives us what we need.
Isaiah 45:5 NIV says; “I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.”
Hebrews 13:15 says; “let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”
Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.”
Alone on my couch that morning, I lifted my hands and my voice in adoration for our King. As the tears flowed down my cheeks, I realized the importance of praise. Then the most mysterious thing happened. As I offered up my gift of praise, God gave me something back. God revealed His love for me and I experienced healing, encouragement and renewal. Some of these gifts I did not even know I needed. But God knew.
In times of praise, God reminds us how much He loves us.
There is a quote from The Power of Awareness by Neville, that reads, “The knowledge that your creator never would have made you had he not loved you must fill your heart with devotion, yes, with adoration… It is when you’re feeling of reverence is most intense that you are closest to God, and when you are closest to God, your life is richest.”
As I finished up my time with God that day, I couldn’t tell you how long I sat there, relishing in the presence of God. I felt suspended in a place where time did not exist. It was just me and God. Then, just when I thought this must be what it feels like to bask in God’s presence, the sun came streaming through my window and surrounded me in light and warmth. It was as if God was looking lovingly upon me. Reminding me, that He is here. God is so good!
Today, instead of praying together, I would like us to praise God together. Below you will find a link to 2-hours of praise music. Would you join me and take 10 minutes to praise God? Let’s settle in, close our eyes and lift our hands in adoration of all that God is. Let’s go meet God and find out how important praise really is.
P.S. Comment below and let me know how it went. You know I love to hear from you. My prayer is that you experience God in brand new ways. God loves you and wants you to know it. -M
(If you cannot see this YouTube, please open from your browser.)
