Hab 3:17-18 although the FIG tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail, the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in a situation like the prophet Habakkuk?
If you haven't been there yet you will be. If you haven't been there yet just keep on living.
The truth is; life comes with problems built in. So you might as well understand. You're not going to Get through this life without trouble, without hardships without pain, without getting your heart broken at least once or twice. Without being lied on, persecuted, and despised. Then Throw in some betrayal and deception into the pot, because that's life.
All you have to do is look in the Bible and you will see what I'm talking about. David was a great Man of God, a great King of Israel, A worshipper.
But that did not exempt David from pain. If you study Davids life, you will see a man who endured much pain.
Then look at Job: He was a righteous man, but he endured more grief and pain than would seem humanly possible.
And I could go on and on: But I believe the point is clear. Sometimes life hurts.
Sometimes you're in the pit and sometimes you're in the fire, Sometimes you're on the Mountain calling fire down from heaven, and sometimes you're in the cave hoping Jezebel doesn't find you.
There are just some things that happen to us all, just because we're in the world. Then there are things that are demonic in nature, attacks straight out of hell.
Your adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
Jn 10:10 The thief cometh not but for to steal to kill and to destroy.
I said all of this to get to this point: There will be times in your life when Praise don't make no sense.
When we talk about making sense of something, we mean that it is understandable, and that it is agreeable to what is before us, and it is logical and it is reasonable.
But this man of God was doing something that just doesn't make no sense. He was standing in the midst of chaos, of loss, of emptiness and confusion and disappointment and he did something that sent shock waves through hell and applause through heaven.
He said: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Basically what he said was: I have decided, I'm going to praise my God even when it don't make no sense.
I may be going through a season of sickness, Or I may be grieving over the loss of a loved one. Or I may be walking through the fire of divorce, or family turmoil. I may be crying myself to sleep at night over my prodigals. They may be threatening foreclosure on my house. The repo depo just towed my car away. My company says their downsizing and might have to let me go.
Well man of God, woman of God, What are you going to do???
I tell you what I'm not going to do. (I'm not going to let my feelings and my emotions take over). I'm not going to go into deep depression. I'm not going to run to the fridgerator and try to drown my sorrow in food. I'm not going to overdose on prescription meds. I'm not going to get angry at God and accuse him of not loving me, and not caring about me.
I'm going to do what David did: I'm going to encourage myself in the Lord.
Then I'm going to get my praise on. I'm going to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. I'm going to open my mouth and praise God. I'm going to give him the praise thats due his name.
Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
God never promised us a problem free life.
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee, and when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Ps 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord, delivereth them out of them all.
I'm going to stop right here and tell you: The church is filled with Pretty Praisers. (People that will praise God when everythings Pretty, When the weathers nice, When the bills are paid. When all the children are saved. When their body feels good.) when they got money in the bank, They're quick to give God that nice Pretty praise.
Their face never gets scrunched up, their makeup never runs, they don't cry, they don't ever get their clothes out of sorts, their wig never gets twisted, they wouldn't jump or shout or dance if the building was on fire.
But I'm going to tell you something that might surprise you: God would rather have your UGLY PRAISE than your Pretty Praise.
It doesn't take any confidence, and it doesn't take any faith in God, and it doesn't take any effort to praise God when everything is going great in your life. Oh Yes we definately should praise during those times.
But what really gets the attention of heaven, and paralyzes Hell is that UGLY Praise.
That Praise that Don't make no sense: That praise when you're face is all scrunched up,, that praise that is hard to tell if its a praise or a moan, that praise that runs down your face, that praise that you had to reach down deep for.
That Praise that is agressive, it's Ugly, It aint pretty.
The Dictionary defines Ugly as: Very anattractive, unpleasant to look at. offensive to the sense of beauty, displeasing in appearance, messy, objectionable.
Pretty praisers get uncomfortable around Ugly Praisers, cause Ugly Praisers ain't worried about winning a beauty contest, they're just trying to hang on to their sanity.
Them Pretty praisers have a Problem with real praise: Cause real praise might get loud, and it might get ugly.
God said to tell you: It's time to quit worrying about trying to pretty it up, and just give it up.
I'm going to tell you personally: I've been in some ugly situations, and I have to tell you the truth (there wasn't a pretty praise anywhere around me. All my praise was Ugly Praise.
But God Loves Your Ugly Praise!!
Give him your Ugly Praise...
Let me introduce you to a couple of Ugly Praisers in the Bible.
First there was Job:
Job 1:1 Job was a perfect and upright one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Then we see in Job 1:13-22 Job In Ten verses, Job lost everything. The Sabeans took his oxen and asses and killed all his servants there but one, then fire fell from the sky and burned up his sheep and all the servants there but one, The chaldeans took his camels and slew his servants, all except one.
Then all of his sons and daughters we at the oldest brothers house, and a great wind, smote the house and all his children were killed.
All of this news hit Jobs life in a matter of 10 Verses.
What did Job do?? He Gave God Some UGLY PRAISE... He arose, rent his mantle, shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshipped.
Lets look at another Ugly Praiser in the scriptures.
1 Sa 30:1-7 David and his men had returned from a military campain, and found their city Ziklag burned with fire, and their wives, their sons and their daughters were taken captive.
Then David and the people that were with him, lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
And then it says: David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was greived, every man for his sons, and his daughters.
(But David encouraged himself in the Lord) This is Where David gave God an Ugly Praise.
They had been weeping and Crying until they had no more power to weep. (No doubt David was physically exhausted, he didn't look like a great warrior or a great worshipper, His eyes were most likely swollen and bloodshot.) But what he did next turned everything around.
Right there in the middle of that Pain: He gave God a praise that don't make no sense.... He Gave God an UGLY Praise.
And God gave him a supernatural turnaround, and he recovered every single thing the devil had stolen.
Glory to God: I'm starting to feel an Ugly Praise anointing in this house!!!
I feel like somebody in this house, is one UGLY Praise away from a miracle. (One Ugly Praise away from a supernatural breakthrough, a turnaround) One ugly praise away from your prodigals coming home. (One ugly praise away from turning that lack into abundance). One Ugly Praise away from a brand new anointing. One Ugly Praise away from a healing that has been a long time coming.
Let me introduce to two Ugly Praisers: You may know them better as Paul and Silas.
We find them in Acts Chapter 16 (They are busy working for the master,) when a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, began to follow them around saying: These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. This did she many days. But Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her and he came out the same hour.
When her masters saw that the hope of their gains were gone they caught Paul and Silas and began to accuse them of being trouble makers. teaching customs which are not lawful to recieve or observe.
Well The multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates rent off their clothes and beat them, and laid many stripes upon them. and then thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks.
Then we see our two Ugly Praisers there in the darkness, at midnight, humiliated, backs beaten black and blue, their clothes ripped off their bodies. (and the Bible says) At Midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang PRAISES unto God, and the prisoners heard them.
They gave God an Ugly Praise: A Praise that don't make no sense.
Right there in the midst of the darkness, and the pain, when most people would have been crying, and moaning and groaning and complaining and deciding whether the ministry was worth it or not.
Right there they gave God an Ugly Praise... Through the humiliation, through the tears and fears, through the pain, beaten black and blue.
They might not have passed the qualifications for the church Choir. But there was something about that UGLY PRAISE that God liked.
Acts 16:26 And Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and Immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loose. (And the Jailor and his whole family got born into the Kingdom that night). Because of two men who were not ashamed to give God an Ugly Praise, and To praise God when it didn't make no sense.
We've already met him once in scripture, but lets look at him one more time. (His name is David) He's bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, and he begins to be overwhelmed with thanksgiving.) He starts to Dance and Rejoice, He starts whirling around. And the bible says: He danced right out of his Kingly Apparrell.
Then lets look at what happens when Ugly Praise shows up.
2Sa 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. and Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself.
And David could have said: You're right honey, that was a shameful thing for me to do, and it certainly was no way for a king to act. I should have composed myself, I should have behaved myself better. I'm sorry that I embarrassed you.
I said: He could have said that; But he didn't.
Vs 21-22 And David said unto Michal, it was befor the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: Therefore will I play before the Lord. And I will yet be more vile than thys, and will be base in mine own sight. and of the maid servants that thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
Let Me Paraphrase for Just a minute: What David said was; I wasn't dancing for you, and I wasn't dancing for the servants or the hand maidens, But I was Dancing before the Lord who chose me and made me king.
And then David said: If you thought that praise was over the top, if that was offensive and distasteful to you, if you thought that my last praise was Ugly, you haven't seen anything yet.
I'm going to tell you the truth: I don't really understand it all, but I know its true. (There's something Powerful in an Ugly Praise).
God responded to Paul and Silas Ugly praise and shook the Jail off its foundation.
God responded to Jobs Ugly Praise and gave him back double everything he had lost.
God responded to Davids Ugly praise and he recovered everything the enemy had stolen.
After 3 days and 3 nights in whale motel Jonah gave God an Ugly praise.
Sitting in a whales belly, covered in seaweed here's what Jonah said:
Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving, I will pay that, that I have vowed, Salvation is of the Lord.
10. And the Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
What am I saying? I'm saying when Jonah gave God and Ugly praise that don't make no sense. God told the whale to spit him out.
When Ugly praise filled that whales belly it made him sick, and he spit Jonah out.
He didn't come out Pretty (He came out UGLY) but he came out.
I Just believe If you would give God an Ugly praise today, something would happen. I believe something would shift, and something would break. Something would spit you out.
