WHY PRAISE LIFTS OUR SPIRITS

LIFT YOUR HANDS TO HIM……..have you done recently?  I do it in Church and see many who don’t, and maybe you feel more comfortable in the privacy of your own home and that is ok.  I have a friend who says how can you not want to lift your hands.  But how do we respond when we are sad, hurt, lonely or disappointed?

Next time you are in Church, examine the why and how you are going about praising HIM.  And are you finding the joy alone in the moment of praising GOD, even when your life is in turmoil?  Praise is a personal thing…….it is how we respond to our ALMIGHTY FATHER, each in his own way. Everyone responds differently. 

It is a hard thing……finding the joy in the sad!  And I have that James scripture memorized…..you know the one…….

JAMES 1:2 “COUNT IT ALL JOY, MY BROTHERS, WHEN YOU MEET TRIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS…….”

My New Century version Bible says it this way…….

JAMES 1:2 “MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHEN YOU HAVE MANY KINDS OF TROUBLES, YOU SHOULD BE FULL OF JOY…….”

In worship and praise we do let go of our troubles in the moment and then our spirits lift.  Mine do anyway.  Getting near to GOD makes me feel as if everything is going to turn out alright.

In Stormie Omartian’s book: “Lead Me Holy Spirit” she says this statement:

“God wants to give you a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.  And that’s a perfect trade.”

Could it be that simple…….that when we praise our mighty Savior, if that praise is authentic, then we exchange our heavy spirits for lifted ones?

In our praise alone, we will find healing and spiritual lifting……how simple, how wonderful, how joyous it is to know!  What a powerful gift of grace in return for our heartfelt praise!

When we worship, whether personal or corporate, our focus is on the HOLY LORD……

PSALM 34:1 “I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES; HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH.”

I love Stormie’s picture of a “garment of praise”.  Let us put on that garment and wear it continually friends!

If GOD is our everything, then let us worship HIM abundantly and with full hearts!

Let us remember together this scripture…….

PSALM 33: 1-2 “SHOUT FOR JOY IN THE LORD, O YOU RIGHTEOUS!  PRAISE BEFITS THE UPRIGHT.  GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD WITH THE LYRE; MAKE MELODY TO HIM WITH THE HARP OF TEN STRINGS!”

I searched the above scripture in a few translations……the ESV had the exclamation marks.  I tend to think our praise should come with those!!!

I recently heard a woman in Church praising the LORD while saying she just lost her husband a week ago.  But there she was, standing before us with a big smile on her face praising GOD for all that HE is……her heaviness was being lifted by focusing on HIM.  What an example she was, wearing that garment of praise in the midst of an extremely difficult time for her.

So I believe this praising the LORD will lift me…….I have seen it and believe in it.  Because of GOD’S amazing love for us HE knows what our praise will do.  When we praise, we are saying GOD is good and when we praise, we rest our heart in HIM and ultimately our hearts lift in the joy of who our GOD is!  There is power in our praise, the power to heal and restore and the power to love the LORD with all our heart, soul and mind.  So praise HIM today friends and experience your spirits lifting high!  Lift your hands high in the freedom of praise and in the power of the gift of HIS glory.

REVELATION 5:13 “BLESSING AND HONOR AND GLORY AND POWER BE TO THE ONE SEATED ON THE THRONE, AND TO THE LAMB, FOREVER AND EVER!”