Can God Really Help You?

I have previously described prayer as the nuclear weapon in our arsenal of weapons. In modern warfare the nuclear weapon is the most powerful weapon that we have. However in the spiritual world the absolute, ultimate weapon is praise. Man has not conceived of a weapon in the natural world that compares with praise in the spiritual world. If praise were a natural weapon it would be the planet buster, as in Star Wars.

The Enemy does everything he can to stop God’s people praising; he would rather you prayed than praised. He can cope with a certain amount of nuclear fallout, but praise blasts him into oblivion.

Throughout the Bible we are exhorted to praise God. So many bad situations in the Bible were turned around when people stopped and praised God. Praise builds up spiritual pressure on the inside of us. It focuses our attention on God, releasing his strength in us and allowing him to work on our behalf. If we are praising God he will fight our battles for us.

The story of King Jehoshaphat is one example of how praising God resulted in victory. He was told that a vast army was approaching his country. He turned to God and proclaimed a fast. This is what Jehoshaphat said;

      “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)

 God replied;

      “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the desert of Jerul. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ ” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17)

After hearing this, Jehoshaphat told his people to praise God and give him thanks;

      “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour 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 Chronicles 20:21)

While they were praising, God turned the opposing armies on each other and by the time Jehoshaphat and his men arrived, the opposition were all dead. All that was left for them to do was to carry off the plunder. Praise was the ultimate weapon that ensured victory.

One of the most impressive examples of the power of praise is found in the New Testament.

      “The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.” Acts 16:22-26
 
Paul and Silas had many reasons to be upset. They were trying to preach the gospel and instead found themselves stripped, beaten and imprisoned. They were no doubt cold, hungry and in pain, not to mention humiliated and frustrated. However, they chose to praise God and through the power of that praise their chains fell off. This passage goes on to tell how the jailer and his family were saved and baptised because of this. Praise is powerful!

So what is praise? Well, let’s start with what praise isn’t. Praise isn’t complaining and grumbling; in fact these two things are the opposite of praise. God hates complaining and grumbling and, as I have found to my cost, does not respond to it. I thought for years that I could shame God into acting because I was so miserable. It never worked! Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and then they spent forty years wandering in the desert because they complained and grumbled. The journey to the Promised Land should have taken eleven days. Complaining and grumbling will keep you in the wilderness. Praise will lead you into the Promised Land.

When under spiritual attack it is so easy to focus on the discouraging or depressing things that are happening and give into the temptation to complain or grumble, but that will cause you to be even more discouraged or depressed. It turns the weapon onto you. As I said earlier, praise is the planet buster, but complaining and grumbling turn that planet buster around and fire it back at you.

So, back to the question ‘what is praise?’

Wikipedia defines praise in the following ways;

      In its common usage, praise is the act of making positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately. Praise is typically, but not exclusively, earned relative to achievement and accomplishment. Praise is often contrasted with criticism, where the latter is held to mean exclusively negative statements made about something, although this is not technically correct.

      In religion, praise is an impassioned exaltation of God (i.e. a Supreme Being, or Creation). Praise relates to Gods Greatness. Worship relates to Gods holiness and Thanks giving to Gods goodness. Praise is the appropriate response to Gods greatness. Praise is God’s address. It doesn't depend on our visible situations or circumstances, feelings. It's based on eternal unchangeable facts. His mercy is everlasting; his truth endures to all generations.

One of the most frequently quoted psalms in the Bible is Psalm 103. This promises that God forgives our sins and heals our diseases, but first it tells us to praise God.

      Praise the LORD, O my soul;
       all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
      Praise the LORD, O my soul,
       and forget not all his benefits-
      who forgives all your sins
       and heals all your diseases,
      who redeems your life from the pit
       and crowns you with love and compassion,
     who satisfies your desires with good things
       so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5

When we praise God we give him our heart. When he has our heart he gets everything else as well and he can work on our behalf.

It is not easy to praise God when things are going badly, but it is necessary to turn the situation around and achieve victory. If you are not in the habit of praising God, you need to practice. You may not feel like it, but ignore your feelings and make yourself do it. At first you may have to praise through gritted teeth, but the more you do it the easier it becomes and you will begin to see the benefits.

It's time to fire the ultimate weapon at your problems!