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Whenever you run out of strength to pray and you find your spirit heavily oppressed, wounded, or sagging, praise Him; if you cannot pray, try to praise.
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When you encounter unusual circumstances and problems and are bewildered and feel like collapsing, just remember one thing: "Why not praise?"; if you offer your praise at that moment, God's Spirit will operate in you, open all the doors, and break all the chains.
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"They rose up early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in Jehovah your God, and you will be established; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed. And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them to sing to Jehovah and give thanks in holy array as they went out before the army and say, Give thanks to Jehovah, for His lovingkindness endures forever. And when they began to shout in song and to praise, Jehovah set ambushes for the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming out against Judah; and they were struck" (2 Chron. 20:20-22):
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Please note the words when they began; this means that at the very moment when everyone was singing praises to Jehovah, He rose up to smite the Ammonites, Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir; nothing moves the Lord's hand as quickly as praise.
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Every time you encounter a problem, you should pray for mercy that you would stop manipulating and plotting and that you would learn the lesson of praising instead; much warfare can be won by praise.
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Praise will last for eternity; it will never cease (Rev. 5:8-14; 7:9-12; 14:1-3; 15:2-4; 19:1-8; cf. 21:6; 22:20).
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A person who praises God transcends everything; he overcomes continually by his praise; this is a principle, and this is also a fact.
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To praise is to glorify God; God is worthy of all glory; may God gain abundant praises from His children.
Morning Nourishment
2 Chron. 20:21-22 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them to sing to Jehovah and give thanks in holy array as they went out before the army and say, Give thanks to Jehovah, for His lovingkindness endures forever. And when they began to shout in song and to praise, Jehovah set ambushes for the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming out against Judah; and they were struck.Whenever you run out of strength to pray and you find your spirit heavily oppressed, wounded, or sagging, praise Him. If you cannot pray, try to praise. We invariably think that we should pray when the burden is heavy and praise when the burden is over....There are times when the burden is so heavy that you cannot pray. That is the time for you to praise. We do not praise when there is no burden; we praise when the burden becomes too heavy. When you encounter unusual circumstances and problems and are bewildered and feel like collapsing, just remember one thing, "Why not praise?" Here is a golden opportunity. If you offer your praise at that moment, God's Spirit will operate in you, open all the doors, and break all the chains. (CWWN, vol. 48, "Messages for Building Up New Believers (1)," p. 252)
Today's Reading
Let us look at 2 Chronicles 20:20-22....The nation of Judah was coming to an end at the time of Jehoshaphat's rule. It was very weak; everything was in a state of shambles. The Moabites, Ammonites, and the people of Mount Seir came to invade Judah. Judah was completely in despair; they felt that defeat was certain. Jehoshaphat was a revived king and a God-fearing person...seeking after God. He told Judah to believe in God. What did he do? He appointed singers to sing praises to Jehovah. He also asked these ones to praise the beauty of holiness and to walk out before the army and say, "Give thanks to Jehovah, for His lovingkindness endures forever" [v. 21].Please note the words when they began in the following verse. It is a very precious word. "And when they began to shout in song and to praise, Jehovah set ambushes for the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir" [v. 22].When they began means at that very moment. When everyone was singing praises to Jehovah, He rose to strike the Ammonites, Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir. Nothing moves the Lord's hand as quickly as praise. Prayer is not the fastest way to move the Lord's hand; praise is the fastest way....We need to pray, and we need to pray every day. However, we can overcome many things only by praising.
New believers should not think that they have to pass through many years before they can learn the lesson of praise. They should realize that they can start praising immediately. Every time you encounter a problem, you should pray for mercy that you would stop manipulating and plotting and that you would learn the lesson of praising instead. Much warfare can be won by praise. Many battles are lost because of the lack of praise. If you believe in God, you can tell the Lord in the midst of your problems, "I praise Your name. You are higher than everything. You are stronger than everything. Your lovingkindness endures forever!" A person who praises God transcends everything. He overcomes continually by his praise. This is a principle, and this is also a fact.
Finally, in Psalm 50:23 God says, "Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Me." Here, the word thanksgiving can also be translated as "praise." The Lord is waiting for our praises. Nothing can glorify our God as praises can. One day, all the prayers, works, prophesying, and labor will be over....Praise will last for eternity; it will never cease.
Today we have to learn to believe that the Lord is good and that He is never wrong, even though we cannot always understand what He is doing. If we believe, we will praise. Our praises are His glory. To praise is to glorify God. God is worthy of all glory. May God gain abundant praises from His children. (CWWN, vol. 48, "Messages for Building Up New Believers (1)," pp. 253-255, 258-259)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 48, "Messages for Building Up New Believers (1)," ch. 16