Praise To Our God
Acts 16:16-31
During our time at Pigeon Forge one thing really stuck with me other than Bro. Farrell and I can really put the food down in an Italian restaurant, is something Jeremy Camp said during his concert. He was sharing his testimony and he told of his wife dying with cancer. How faithful she was to God even during her darkest hours. And how her faithfulness helped his. She was in the hospital dying and the moment she slipped away to heaven God told him to stand and praise him. Praise him the very moment the love of his life died. He had mixed emotions at first but remembered her faithfulness. He stood and praised God. Not only for her not suffering anymore but for everything. How hard would that be for you? Could you do that? Sure you say you will but in your moment of pain could you?
The next week Staci’s grandmother passed away. And as we were there with her consoling each other I put my arms around Staci and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said we need to praise God. We needed to praise the God that took our “mam maw” away. Why? Because HE IS GOD! He is the God of the universe. Because we were blessed to have a part in this wonderful woman’s life. Because in the midst of our pain his is still our God. AMEN! That is what I want to talk about tonight is praise. Do we really praise God? In the good times and the bad. We must remember to praise him.
The moment a Christian prays, Satan begins to attack. It is very easy to talk to people, but the moment one prays, Satan comes with problems. He will make one feel that it is hard to pray. This is a fact. But Satan does not attack just prayer; he also attacks the praise of God’s children. The ultimate goal of Satan is to stop all praises to God. Prayer is
a warfare, but praise is a victory. Prayer signifies spiritual warfare, but praise signifies spiritual victory. Whenever we praise, Satan flees. Therefore, Satan hates our praising the most. He will use all his strength to stop our praising. God’s children are foolish if they stop praising when they suffer under adverse environments and downtrodden feelings. But as they come to know God more, they will find that even a Philippian jail can become a place of songs (Acts 16:25). Paul and Silas were praising God inside the jail cell. Their praise broke loose all the jail doors
Read Acts:16:16-31
We are all familiar with this story. A possessed slave girl who was being used for fortune telling by her owners was following Paul, Silas, and the rest. After a few days Paul grew tired of it and called the spirit out of her. Her owners were
Furious. God’s chosen men had cured their moneymaker. What did they do to seek revenge on them? They had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in jail. Scripture says in verses 22 and 23 they were stripped and beaten then thrown in jail. While in jail that were fitted with stocks on their feet.
This is the good part. What did Paul and Silas do. They didn’t complain about the situation. They didn’t cry for help. Scream injustice. Whine to God about their current state. No, they began to PRAISE GOD! They had just been beaten and imprisoned and they were praising God. Why were they doing this in their time of pain? Because that is what Christians should do. Praise God during every part of our lives. Not only when things are going good but during the bad. Your true character of being a Christian will come out during the hard times.
Paul and Silas began to sing hymns and they began to pray. In prison they thanked God for everything. I remember an old song that went “As Paul and Silas began to praise the Lord the walls began to shake”. The walls began to fall when they praised God. Are the walls in your life trembling, do you praise God like you should? Their faith led them to praise. Where is your faith?
Praise is an act of worship or acknowledgement to God. To exalt God. Praise to God is our way of expressing joy to God. We are to praise him for what he is and what he has done. We are to praise him in everything we do. Everyday, not just on Sundays. We need to praise him during the good times like when our children our born, job promotions, good test results from the doctor…etc. We need to realize the good things that happen in our lives are from God. We need to praise for that. We also need to praise him during the bad times. When we don’t get good test results, or when we lose a loved one, or when we don’t get that promotion.
In the book of Daniel, Daniel did not do what the government told him to do. He did what was right in the eyes of God. He prayed and lifted the name of God. God returned the favor when Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den. Will God get praise when you are in your lion’s den? Will God get only praise during the good times in your life? We have to remember that God is in control. We are human and we will worry. We need to sit back and think about God sitting there on his throne in complete control. That is the very reason we need to praise him. HE IS IN CONTROL!
A 19th century Scottish minister always started his prayers with praise. One cold and dreary morning his congregation wondered how he would praise on a day like this? He prayed “We thank ye oh Lord that it is not always like this everyday.” Think back to David who wrote so much about praising God. He wasn’t privileged to having a Bible. He learned by falling, being faithful, in fear, and in courage. When David was running from Saul God sparred him. When he sinned God forgave him. Psalms 7:15 says “For thou art my hope; O Lord God, thou art my confidence…” David lived a life of a man who knew God was in control.
The same God who created the universe in Genesis. The same God in Exodus gave the 10 Commandments to Moses. The same God who in 1 Sam. Delivered David from the giant. In Job he returned everything 2 fold. In Psalms he offers refuge. In Daniel he stood by Messiah, Shadrach, and Bandage. We must realize that God is in control and we must praise him. He is always there no matter what. He is comfort for those who lost loved ones. He is the peace for those whose families are struggling. He is encouragement for those lying in the hospital. He is our strength and for that we need to PRAISE HIM! He is the God that loves you, keeps you, and is soon coming back for you. He deserves every ounce of energy that we can offer.
What if God couldn’t take the time to bless us today because we couldn’t take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today?
What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain?
What if God didn’t walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?
What if God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?
What if God took away His message because we failed to listen to His messenger?
What if the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?
What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?
What if God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?
What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call for service?
What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives?
The time to Praise him is now. and every waking minute from here on after. Are you willing to Praise the Lord even in the midst of your pain? What keeps you from praising God? Is your life praise to God?
