The Power of Praise

THE POWER OF PRAISE

"The Lord IS my strength and song, and He has BECOME my salvation; This IS my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:2

This morning as I was reading through the Scriptures, I was in Acts 16 which is the story of Paul and Silas in prison. It is recorded in Acts 16. You remember the story -- they were thrown into jail after being beaten by the mob, and about midnight "they were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25)

At that point after praying and sing, their chains fell off and all the doors were open. And instead of fleeing, they had an evangelistic meeting in jail and the prison jailer ended up getting saved and all his house!

The Lord brought be back to Exodus 15 which is the Song of Moses and the children of Israel AFTER their Red Sea experience. I can't help but think that there was a lot of praying going on as two million Israelites were crossing through the dry ground while being pursued by the powerful Egyptian army.
Can you imagine what they must have been thinking as they watched the Sea on either side, the army behind them? No wonder they broke out in song when the victory came.

There seems to be a correlation between praying and praise in Scriptures. Paul and Silas used prayer and praise BEFORE the victory came! They had no idea how long they would be in prison or if they would make it out alive. But just think what an impact that prayer and worship service had.

Right now you and I might be experiencing a "prison" or "Red Sea experience in our lives. I can sit back and complain, moan and groan, get discouraged and full of despair (and I have been there and done that even this week) or I can turn this time into a service of prayer and praise. Who knows what might happen -- if God can part the Red Sea for 2 million of His people, if He can break prison doors and set captives free in a jail cell in Philipi, what could he do in Whiting, NJ or in the town you live?

It hasn't been the first time that God told His servants to use praise to do battle. If it worked for Gideon and his army, will it work for us today? What do we have to lose? I am going to keep at it. I have a sneaky suspicion that I am going to be amazed again with the power of God and you will certainly hear about it! Will you join me in the adventure? -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Job 41-42; Acts 16:22-40

Think About This: The truth is, living in agreement with God will bring His conviction when we are disobedient. Conviction may feel like a negative thing, but it's just as much a part of God as His smile. He is committed to making our lives work in Him, and He will use the strength and power of His conviction to let us know when we are outside His will. It may feel bad, but conviction is God at work in us.-- David Edwards