Praise Makes a Difference

SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION FOR PRAISE

1)      “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of all things; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:47, 48).

2)      “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Deuteronomy 20:3).

3)      “But you are holy, Who inhabit the praises of Israel [by extension the “praises of all your children”] (Psalm 22:3).

4)      “’But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’  So the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.’  Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.. . . Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ [Job replied] ‘Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept  adversity’” (Job 2:5-10)?

5)      “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

6)      “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

COMMENTARY

1)      God is absolute Sovereign over all things.  This is graphically illustrated in Satan’s appearance before God to contend for the integrity of Job.  God granted Satan to touch Job’s body but spare his life.  In this God demonstrated that He had “Satan on a leash”.  Recognizing this, Job wisely said to his wife who would have him “curse God and die”, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity” (Job 5:10)?  That reply set the standard for “believers” in every age.

2)      Since God is Sovereign with all things coming of His hand and we allow no other god to supersede Him, then praise to Him should be the first thing out of our mouths in every circumstance.

3)      When that praise is not forthcoming we cast ourselves into a prison of our own making.

SPECIFIC APPLICATION

1)      Your faith in God is only real to the depth of adversity in which you are willing to praise Him.

2)      Your circumstance—don’t like it, don’t understand it, it hurts?   Praise God in the midst of it and you allow Him to work.  If you grumble and complain (which is praise to Satan), you limit God, practically requiring He take His hands off and let us try to solve our problems.  Which will it be?