PRAY EVERY DAY - Day 9: Pastor Chance Park
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“Praise the LORD! Let all that I am praise the LORD.”
Psalm 146:1 (NLT)
One of the highest forms of prayer is praise. The Psalmist wrote, “Praise the LORD! Let all that I am praise the LORD.” Psalm 146:1 (NLT). Are you a person of praise? Think about that before you answer too quickly. Really evaluate your attitude and conversations of late. Are they filled with praise or complaints? Are they positive in nature or more negative and fault finding? Because we are all part of a fallen world, it’s human nature to complain. The Christ follower is different or is supposed to be. Even as Christ followers, we can be pulled back into that vortex of negativity. It was constant complaining that kept the people of Israel in the wilderness wandering around for forty years when God’s intention was to give them the blessing of a promised land!
What about you? I want to challenge you to eliminate negativity in your life. It simply blocks God’s blessings in your life when you grumble and gripe and complain. I find there are one of two types of people that I can become: a “praiser” or a complainer. I can be positive and faith-filled, or I can become negative and filled with fear. Praisers live by faith. Complainers live by fear. Praise doesn’t deny the problems you have nor the pain you feel. Praise simply lifts them to God with the unshatterable confidence that He is greater than any problem and can heal any hurt with His love and power. That’s the secret of praise! Sometimes, it’s a sacrifice to praise. We are to praise God in prayer even when things aren’t going the way we would like. To those who had lost everything in this world for their faith, the writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) You can only do that when you’re no longer living for this world.
It’s the power of praise that the Psalmist’s offers us throughout the 150 chapters of Psalms. I love the way it ends. The last five chapters of Psalms close the book with a crescendo of praise! Each chapter from Psalm 146 to Psalm 150 begins and ends the same – “Praise the Lord!” Let me ask you. Is that a request or a command? I think the exclamation point at the end may give it away. You see, praise is a choice. Will you choose to be a person of praise? It will take practice. Every time you are tempted to complain, gripe, and grumble, turn your problems into praise! Praise your problems back to God. The problem with problems is never the problem. The problem with problems is our response to them.
Consider this for a moment – all our problems are temporary! When I worry about them, I’m saying, “God, I don’t think you can handle this one, so I must worry about it.” Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Worrying is like revving up your engine. It burns a lot of gas but doesn’t get you anywhere. When I praise my problems back to God, I’m not denying them. I’m admitting honestly to Him how I feel and that I don’t like what is happening or seem powerless to do anything about it, but I am praising Him that He cares and has the power to do what He chooses in His time and because He loves me it will be for my good! That’s the sacrifice of praise, giving thanks to His name.
Discover the power of praise in your life. Begin to make praise a part of your Pray Every Day Challenge and become a person of praise! Be a praiser!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.