The Adventure of Praise
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
Praise is an adventure--an empowering adventure. In praising God, we have a chance to really know who God is, who we are, and to experience the great mystery and power of God's work on this earth.
No matter how difficult or unjust our circumstances become, we can exercise our free will and choose to praise God rather than ignore Him. We can choose not only what we will praise Him for, but how long, how frequently, and how intensely we will praise Him.
The times when you don't feel like praising God are precisely the moments when it's most essential to do so. The next time you are discouraged, start praising God. When you feel defeated or unable to break loose from bad habits, start praising God. When your most treasured relationships seem to be falling apart, start praising God.
Why do this? Because praise is about what God desires us to do--it's not about the power of your circumstances. When you get your eyes off your immediate problem and put your focus on God, you redirect yourself toward what God will do for you, not what man has done to you. At that point, God can work in your life to produce real growth.
Prayer: Lord, even though I may be discouraged, I am choosing to praise You. I believe that You will bring good of my current situation and so I am focusing on You, not on my circumstances. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
"But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge" (Psalm 141:
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