August 13, 2024
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.—Ephesians 1:3
The Apostles Paul and Silas were going to a place of prayer when they were met by a female slave who earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. Paul commanded the spirit of divination to leave the girl, and the Word tells us “At that moment the spirit left her” (Acts 16:16–18).
When the owners realized that their moneymaker was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. Soon the gathering crowd joined in the attack and the magistrates ordered them stripped and beaten with rods. After their flogging, they were taken under heavy guard, to a cold, dark, subterranean dungeon, where their feet were fastened in stocks. …
In the depths of the earth and shrouded in darkness, “about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, as the other prisoners listened.” This entire scene astonishes me, considering that both men were in painful stocks, bruised, bloody, with their backs splayed open. Yet they had the fortitude and desire to sing songs of praise to God.
Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. That is why we are to praise the Lord no matter what happens and constantly speak of His glories and grace. We are to boast of all His kindness and let all who are discouraged take heart and praise and exalt the Lord (Psalm 34:1–3).
God responded to the praises of Paul and Silas, and “suddenly a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison and every prison door flung open and the chains of all the prisoners came loose” (Acts 16:26). … The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. … But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:27–28). …
The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29–30).
Paul and Silas replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31). Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds, which was an act of repentance. Immediately, he and all of his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
Paul and Silas were not moved by their circumstances. They trusted God and praised Him in song and worship. Then God moved mightily in the midst of a darkened dungeon, and the prisoners and the jailer witnessed His delivering power. However, the greatest miracle was the salvation and baptism of the jailer and his entire family. What better ending could there have been than having more souls added to the Kingdom of God? ...
God looks for our praises in the trials. For when we lift our voices in praise, we are saying to God, “No matter what happens, I will trust and praise You.” And it is in that complete surrender to God and His will that His heart is moved to act.—Joy Bollinger1
When hearing the word “praise” in a spiritual context, many of us might associate it with worship in a church service or gathering, or perhaps even personal gratitude to Jesus. And we wouldn’t be wrong; this is no doubt praising God. But the act of praising goes much further and deeper than that.
When we praise the Lord, be it in word, in song or deeds, we are expressing genuine thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord—and this is something we are called to offer at all times. The great king and psalmist, David, wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).
Can blessing the Lord at all times mean only blessing or praising him during the “good” times?
Habakkuk 3:17–18 says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior.”
It’s perfectly natural not to feel like praising the Lord in unpleasant or painful circumstances—to some, it may even seem to be an unreasonable expectation. But in doing so, we manifest our faith in God to work in those situations and bring about His will. Just as Jonah was spit out of the belly of the whale after praising the Lord, which, I’m sure, was the last thing he felt like doing, we too can be lifted out of the pits of sorrow and heartbreak straight into the Lord’s presence through praise. (See Jonah chapter 2.)
It’s easy to feel resentful toward God when unfair and even downright cruel circumstances occur in our lives or the lives of those around us, but resentment blocks the flow of God’s power in our lives. The Apostle Paul reminds us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not only does praise empower us to rise above challenging circumstances, but praise is the will of God.
Are you looking for a remedy for your pain, discouragement, or despair? Keep your hands, and most of all, your heart, raised in praise to the Lord, and you will in turn be raised to higher ground.—Steve Hearts
As Christ-followers, we build many important spiritual habits into our lives—including prayer, Bible reading, gratitude, and so on. … But we must not forget the habit of praising God. It’s particularly important when we’re struggling.
What makes praise so important? ...
Praise lifts your spirit. Psalm 42:5–6 says: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you.”
There’s no doubt we have a lot in our world today to be discouraged about. But Psalm 42 reminds us to both praise God and remember what he has done in our lives when we’re down. The world is looking for hope. As Jesus-followers, we know the only real reason for hope. That’s why worship is so energizing. It takes your eyes off of your troubles and puts them on Jesus.
Praise helps you sense God’s presence. God is always present whether you sense it or not. Sometimes we don’t feel his presence, but that’s because we’ve moved away from him. He hasn’t.
When you don’t feel God’s presence is when you need to praise him the most. It’s easier to act your way into a feeling than feel your way into an action. In fact, maturity is when we do what’s right whether we feel like it or not. The Bible says, “Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence” (Psalm 140:13).
Praise enlarges your perception of God. The Bible tells us this in Psalm 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with a song, And magnify Him with thanksgiving.” When we look at something with a magnifying glass, it gets bigger. When God gets bigger, our problems get smaller. Either your problems will be big or God will be big. It’s your choice. …
Praise helps us remember God’s blessing. Often when we’re thinking about a big problem, it’s all we can think about. It colors everything in our lives. …
Praise will correct the imbalance. It’ll remind you that not everything in your life is bad. In Psalm 105, the Bible describes this pattern: “Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! … Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered” (Psalm 105:1–2, 5).
When you have problems, you tend to focus on the negative. Praise helps you remember who you are and who God is.—Rick Warren2
We have so much to praise God for, there’s great power in giving honor to Him. … The Bible is filled with examples of praise when we see His power released—life-changing miracles, dramatic stories of the enemy being halted or defeated, hearts being changed and drawn closer to Him.
Yet reality is that way too often, daily struggles or constant life demands can crowd out our praise to God. … Sometimes it really is a sacrifice to offer praise. We may not feel like it. We’re struggling. We’re weary. Or maybe, we feel like He let us down. We think God seems distant, like He’s far away, or doesn’t really care about what’s troubling us. Painful life blows and losses might have recently sent us spiraling. …
Praise gets our focus off ourselves and back on God. In our often ”selfie” focused world, we need this constant reminder—life is not all about us. We may know that in our heads, but yet our hearts think differently so often. … He desires our eyes be set firmly on Him, because that’s where our true hope is found. …
We have a choice every day in this life. To live absorbed in worry and stress, on the fast track of busy, focused only on what surrounds us, tuned in to the roar of the world. Or, we can ask God to help us take our eyes off all that may be swirling around, our problems and mess, or the voices of others. And we can look up ... to Him, the One who holds it all together, and who holds us in His hands.
God desires our whole heart. He waits for us to return. He longs for us to know the power of His presence over our lives. He desires to bless us more than we could imagine. His Spirit urges us onward, calling us closer.
Dear God, we praise you today with our hearts and songs, we praise you for your faithfulness, we praise you for your great power and love. We confess our need for you, our lives don’t go so well when we just spin around on our own. We struggle and worry, get weary and worn. Yet you never leave us. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your care over us, thank you that you breathe renewal right into our souls. We ask for your Spirit to fill us, to draw us close to yourself, and to work your purposes through us, as we set our eyes on you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Debbie McDaniel3
Published on Anchor August 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by John Listen.
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