The Power Of Praise

1 Samuel 30:6-8 (KJV) And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David inquired at the Lord , saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And [God] answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

“The Power of Praise”

December 31, 2024

I know that we have heard this saying from believers that, “When the praises go up, the blessings come down” but this is not how praise works. Praise does not change God; Praise changes you! Praise does not give God a new outlook, but praise changes your perspective on what God is allowing for your life. Praise does not take away your troubles, but praise reminds you that trouble won’t last always. Isaiah says in 40:28 (KJV) hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8 (KJV) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Praise changes your perspective. You see things differently when you praise Him.

Let me set up the complete situation in Israel!

• Samuel, their prophet of God. . . is Dead!

• Saul, their chosen king. . . has resorted to Witchcraft!

• David, their anointed king of Israel. . . is hiding among the Philistines!

• Ziklag, their foreign homeland. . . has been burned with Fire!

• Wives, Sons & Daughters of their soldiers. . . have been Carried Away!

• But the Everlasting GOD, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth is still on the throne! So with this perspective, David encourages himself in the Lord his God!

At this point in history David is hiding from King Saul in the enemy camp. He made one friend among the Philistines, King Achish who gives him the Philistine city Ziklag for him and his 600 men. David wants to repay the favor of the king and fight against Israel with the Philistines, but the King says no and sends him back to Ziklag. While David and his men were away Ziklag was being attacked by the Amalekites. When they arrive, the city had been burned and their families had been carried away as prisoners. The bible says that David and his soldiers wept for their families “until they had no more power to weep.” They all blamed David and wanted to stone him for this terrible tragedy! So, the bible says that in the midst of his grief there was no one to comfort him so he encouraged himself in the Lord his God! In this Age of War and rumors of War sometimes we get discouraged, but as we see in the life of David every now and then we must encourage ourselves in the Lord. In this Age of Divorce and Devaluation of Marriage sometimes we get discouraged, but as we see in the life of David every now and then we must encourage ourselves in the Lord. In this Age of Sickness and Healthcare Crisis sometimes we get discouraged, but as we see in the life of David every now and then we must encourage ourselves in the Lord. In this Age of Financial Uncertainty, sometimes we get discouraged, but as we see in the life of David every now and then we must encourage ourselves in the Lord. As David sat among the ruins of Ziklag and his soldiers spoke of stoning him, he had a choice. David could allow grief and bitterness to conquer him; he could sink into the black hole of depression and give up and quit. Or he could face the enemy and fight for his family. But before David could fight, he would have to get his strength and courage back.

As David looked around him, he saw nothing but discouraged and downcast men. David had no one to encourage him, so he had only one recourse: he “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” From what we know of David, I surmise how David went about encouraging himself. David got alone with God and began to sing psalms of praise. Maybe he sang Psalm 34? David had written this psalm just two years earlier when God had delivered him from the Philistine king Abimelech. “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.” All times—good times, bad times, great times, and terrible times. Even on the worst day of your life, God is worthy of praise. “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” This is part of the path to encouragement. When praise is in your mouth, there will be no grumbling, no complaining, and no negative speaking. Praise is the language of faith. If you want to strengthen your faith, begin to praise God. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me.” What does it mean to magnify the Lord? Magnify means “to enlarge or make bigger in perspective.” When we magnify something with a magnifying glass, a microscope, or a telescope, we don’t change its reality. We don’t make the object we are observing any bigger, but we change our perception of it. We cannot make God any bigger than He already is—you can’t increase omnipotence, but you can magnify your perspective of God. Perspective has everything to do with whether you are encouraged or discouraged. Make God Bigger Than Your Trouble! Refuse to magnify the devil. Refuse to magnify the trouble. Refuse to magnify the present negative circumstance. Don’t analyze your trouble with a magnifying glass—this will only lead to deeper discouragement. Magnify the Lord! Speak of His greatness, His power, His might. Talk about how big and powerful God is! It has been said, “When you make God bigger, you make your trouble smaller.”