Can you dare to praise God when there is absolutely no tangible reason to do so? Can you praise God when you are hungry and there is no food in house? Can you praise God when you can’t afford to pay your children’s school fees? Can you praise God when it seems you are behind your mates in your place of work? Can you praise God sincerely when you have been married for years without a child? Can you praise God when you’re still a tenant?


When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when the olive trees do not produce, and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep disappear from the pen, and there are no cattle in the stalls, I will rejoice because of the Lord; I will be happy because of the God who delivers me! The sovereign Lord is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. Habakkuk 3:17-19



One of the undeniable traits of mature Christians is that they praise God in any situation they find themselves whether good or bad – “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” 1Thess 5:18.




Primarily, we did not become Christians because we want God to provide for our earthly needs, rather, we decided to follow Christ because we want to know God, love him, obey him, serve him and worship him with all of our heart unconditionally. The fallout of this total abandonment (surrender) in Him is the provision of our mundane (earthly) needs. – “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” – Matt 6:33. The goodies of life shouldn’t be our primary objective for serving or praising God.




It is a light thing to sing God’s praises when everything is going well and life is good and fair. It is an easy spiritual exercise to praise God when we get that dream job, pass that professional exam that will catapult us to the league of erudite scholars, move to our own home, get that multi-million naira contract that will announce us to the world, get that appointment that makes us the envy of our contemporaries, acquire that property/assets that will elevate us to a so-called “privileged class” or get married to our heartthrob.

Favourable occurrences make us instant praise singers and while the events last, we are full of gratitude and appreciation to God for what He has done. We dance, worship and carry a happy countenance throughout the day because God has heard our supplications and given us our heart’s desires. We proclaim to whoever cares to listen, “come and see what God has done for me”, and bask in the euphoria of a favoured Christian. Is this right? Yes, it is very right.




It is good to praise God when he answers our prayers, blesses us and deliver us from our enemies.

Sometimes, in the moment of elation, we go overboard and rub it in the face of those seeking the same blessings from God. In our adulation we make others look unworthy to be “blessed” like us. This ought not to be. When praising God, it should be done with all sense of reverence and sobriety, and the glory should go to him alone. “I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else or the praise due me with idols” Isaiah 42:8




It is a natural consequence to make a joyful noise unto the Lord when we achieve the impossible and attain the unimaginable.




However, when there is famine in the land, nothing to eat in the house, mounting bills to pay, the bank account is in the red and death of a loved one, to lift up our hands and voices to praise God will become a daunting and “unreasonable” spiritual exercise. Praising God will be the farthest thing from our minds which if allowed to persist may eventually lead to ingratitude. Instead of worshiping and praising Him, we ask, “God, why me?”, “I have serve you wholeheartedly and remain faithful, why would you allow this to happen to me?”




At this vulnerable and precarious situation, the counsel of Job’s wife to “curse God and die” will appear as the only reasonable option. Even if we don’t verbally “curse God”, our attitude speaks volume. We become depressed and bitter towards the things of God. We can’t even appreciate God for the gift of life. We feel God has abandoned us and feel justified if we alienate ourselves from the people of God. This is a huge mistake. It is in difficult times like this that we don’t forsake the assembling of one another. We should be with people who can comfort, console and encourage us, and ginger us back to the presence of God.




How can we get out of this cesspool of depression?

The first thing to do if you find yourself in this state is to recall past blessings, victories and attainments God has bestowed on you. This will help to stabilize the troubled mind and jolt it from the depressive state. Like the songwriter sang, "Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done, count your blessings name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done”




If God delivered you in the past he will deliver you from your present predicament and in future he will deliver you from whatever the enemy may throw at you, don’t despair – “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” – 2Cor 1:10




It defies logic to praise God in the face of difficulty; however, this is the panacea for quick recovery and restoration.




Why Praise God

We praise God because of who he is. He is the creator of heaven and earth, He is our creator.

We praise God because he demands that we praise him, which is the only sacrifice he accepts. “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Heb 13:15

Praising God when there is hunger, lack and deprivation, is akin to saying, “God, though I don’t have now, I know you’re working things out for me and soonest there shall be shout of abundance.

Praising God in difficult times is a show of faith and confidence that God has not forgotten you; instead he is working on your behalf to grant you your heart’s desires. Remember the cliché, “delay is not denial”.

Are you sick – Praise the Lord, not because you’re sick but because you know “by his stripes you’re healed” 1Peter 2:24. That sickness will not kill you.

Are you in Lack – Praise the Lord, not because you’re poor but because “Jesus, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor that you through his poverty may become rich” 2Cor 8:9

Are you depressed? – Praise the Lord, not because you’re depressed but because He will give you Comfort, Garment of Praise and oil of Joy in place of your depression. Isaiah 61:1-3

Take the case of Paul and Silas in “Acts of the Apostles” – they prayed and sang praises to God when they were jailed for preaching the Gospel. Obviously, being jailed for doing the right can be very depressing but they took it in stride and made a deliberate effort to ignore the present and focus on the Almighty God.




Here lies the secret of surviving difficult times - remove your attention from the happenings around and focus your mind on the God of impossibilities. This is not a state of denial but a state of focusing on the problem-solver rather than the problem.

In good times praise the Lord, in bad times? Praise the Lord! This is the audacity we have for praising God no matter the situation because we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.

http://www.standtallstandout.com/2016/01/the-audacity-of-praising-god.html?m=1

When there is no food to feed my kids..money to handle their bills.
I walk out to hustle.then praise him when the hustle pays.

iceberylin:
When there is no food to feed my kids..money to handle their bills.
I walk out to hustle.then praise him when the hustle pays.

Then your praising him is conditional - unless He blesses, you will not praise. This is a wrong mindset. Praise God for who He is and not ONLY for what He gives.

igomen:


Then your praising him is conditional - unless He blesses, you will not praise. This is a wrong mindset. Praise God for who He is and not ONLY for what He gives.

Praises don't put food on tables..

Who don't you try it.
Give out all you have then
Sit at home all day and praise God.

iceberylin:



Praises don't put food on tables..

Who don't you try it.
Give out all you have then
Sit at home all day and praise God.

Praising God doesn't mean you will not work to put food on the table. There is time for everything, a time to work and a time to pray and praise God. Working and praising God are not mutually exclusive, in fact they can go together. I think you didn't get my point, maybe you should read my write-up carefully to the end.

I was blessed by this wonderful write-up. We should constantly praise God both in sunshine and in the storm.

God bless you o.p.