"A Praise In The Midst Of Confusion"

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Habbakkuk says in verse 18, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, in the God of mine salvation." He was basically saying that even amidst all the confusion, strife, stress, mess, and destruction and chaos, he was STILL going to praise God, no matter what... And for a few minutes I want to talk about the subject of, "Praise In The Midst Of Chaos." I am convinced today that far too many of us in the church don’t understand what true praise really is... We think it’s all about when God blesses us with a new house or a car, a honey or some money, we come into church & just start jumping & shouting & dancing & hollering, but as soon as something goes wrong we eithier want to sit on the back pew with our arms folded & our lower lip puffed out, or worse yet stop coming to church at all... And we’re convinced that because of that we have TRUE praise..

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news & to crash your party, but that’s not true praise! True praise means just a few things, and I need to lay them on you before I get to the text... True praise is not affected by your exterior circumstances. Mmm, hmm... Meaning you don’t just praise when things are going well & stop when things aren’t going well. You praise him continiously in the Good & the bad. And so not only is it not affected by your exterior circumstances, but it is continious... Not only that the last thing true praise is is heartfelt... The word says "They that worship him must worship him in spirit & in truth.." Ahh, it’s not for form or fashion, huh, it’s not to put on a show & see who has the best two step, but it is to give glory to God, no matter what! Ahh, I wish I had about 2 people, who really knew what true praise was! True praise says "It might not all be right, I might not understand it, things might not be good right now, but i’m gon’ bless God, anyway!

Can I go ahead & keep it real for a minute? Look at the text, habbakkuk, is about to close out his book, ha, and he’s been troubled ha, all 3 chapters up to now, ha, because God, let a heathen nation, triumph over his, can I get a witness? He didn’t understand it, it confused him, it baffled him, but after he wrestled ha, with his thoughts uh huh, for 3 chapters, ha, he comes to the conclusion, ha, in verse 17, and prays to god, and he says basically, even though I’ve lost everything, I might not understand what in the world’s going on, and I might be confused, about ready to lose my mind, I’ll still praise him! I wonder, if I got some true praisers, up in this house, that even though, the money may not be right, the hunny left ya, ha, ya lost the job, the house, maybe everything, ha, everything in your life, seems to be going wrong! If it ain’t one thing, ha, it’s another, ha, But you’ve still got a praise, down in your spirit! You’ve still got joy! You’ve still got a dance & a holler, down in your spirit! I believe the old folk called it, "A hallelujiah anyhow praise"! And ya give it to him anyhow, because you know, the promises of God, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy, comes, in the morning!" "All things, work together, for the Good of those who love the Lord, and are the called, according to his purpose!" I’m going back, ha, to my seat, ha, but I dare ya, no matter what you’re going through, give God, a 30 seccond crazy praise, like you’ve lost your mind! Look at, verse 19, and then i’m gone! Habakkuk says, "You will make my feet likes hinds feet, and I will walk, in mine high places!" God is ready to take you, ha, higher, higher, higher, higfher, but he wants, your unadulterated praise! So I dare you, give God a praise, ha, like you’ve lost your mind! For when I think of the goodness of Jesus!! Whoooaaa!!! Yes! Yes!!!!! YEEESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give God, REAL PRAISE!!!!!!!