The Power of Praise

Guest Written by Christine Wheeler

The lyrics, “Fear cannot survive when we praise you!” And “Let praise be a weapon that conquers all anxiety,” stood out to me as I listened to this song. 

And it hit me that when we praise the Lord, we carry an amazing amount of power! I might not be the best singer or even know how to carry a tune, but I love listening to music and singing along. I enjoy analyzing the words in songs and I find connection to God through worship that is meaningful. 

But singing or listening to music is different from praise. Praise is the act of expressing approval or admiration, or paying tribute to. Worshiping before the Lord is how we honor Him and make connection. There is tremendous power in praise. Even with my love of singing my guts out, I was immediately convicted that “praise” is not always my FIRST response to chaos or uncertainty. How many times do I whine or cry and ask God “WHY?!” BEFORE I turn to praise. If we know we have access to this powerful weapon then why don’t we use it more often?

Here are some ways that I believe the Lord responds when we praise Him:

Trust - When we praise God, we tend to complain less about His timing because we trust that He holds all things in his hands and there is not one thing that happens outside of his perfect timing. 

Submission - When we praise God, we become more submissive to His will. Praise has a way of releasing us from our sinful human desire to take control back from the Lord. 

Identity Adjustment - When we praise, we realize who we are and whose we are. We are children of the Great King. When we know who we are and whose we are, we have no reason to fear. 

Confidence - When we praise God, we gain greater confidence in the Lord’s ability to carry us through any dark valley or storm. We don’t have to rely on ourselves or others; we can completely rely on Christ. Praise casts out fear. 

Freedom - When we praise God, we find freedom in living. We see that God is sovereign and we can experience rest in the freedom that his goodness and sovereignty provides. 

Jeremiah 20:13 says, “Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.” Sing praises to the Lord today, no matter what you may be facing and watch him work! See the power and authority that we have when we praise our God.