Praise Power

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." Psalm 150:6
God inhabits the praises of His people. When we worship, He is right there in our midst. He knows what we need and is the answer. He longs for our worship because He loves us. Worship is about praising God for who He is, not for what He does or what He can provide for us. It is about communicating to Him how AWESOME He is, how powerful and great He is and how much we appreciate and love Him. Like countless men and women of the Bible, we can worship our way through any storm, any captivity and any enemy we encounter. God moves when we worship through our circumstances, no matter what the end result might seem to be. Sometimes we don't feel like worshipping, but that is exactly when we should.

Recall with me the real life events of Paul and Silas found in Acts 16:22; The men were harshly beaten and thrown into prison. Midnight fell upon them and wow was it dark, like the dark times we face (our "midnights!"). The jailer was ordered to shackle their feet and keep them bound in the inner prison. During their captivity and at their darkest hour, Paul and Silas began to worship and sing praises to God! Rather than trembling with fear, complaining or wondering how on earth they would get out of that terrible place, they lifted high the God of all creation, the God so strong and mighty, the God they adore.
As the other prisoners listened, (imagine what was going through their minds), suddenly, a strong earthquake came, the prison foundation was destroyed and the doors opened and the prisoners were free from their chains and shackles! Was it a coincidence that the earthquake came when it did? Not a chance. Praise moves God. He used that earthquake to free Paul and Silas, who believed in God and His mighty power. They didn't have a specific prayer. They didn't ask God for anything. They simply worshipped Him.

Let's pray:
"Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for real life Bible truths that we can refer back to for encouragement, and for answers to life's tough questions. Help us to realize whether we are in bondage, captive or imprisoned, worshipping you is the key to setting us free. Whether it is relationships, fears, frustrations or discouragements keeping us bound, we choose to worship you today. We simply go to your throne of grace and mercy and shower you with the praise you so deserve. Blessed be your holy name. In Jesus' name, Amen".