The atmosphere during praises in church is usually charged with mirth;
While worship time is most often a solemn moment;
We praise God for His provision during the past week;
For His protection and our answered prayers;
For the gift of life and good health;
For no bad news heard and traveling mercies;
For peace of mind and joyful heart;
We sing praises and dance our hearts out.
It is much easier to give God heartfelt praises;
When all is going well and your heart is light with gladness;
But it is a totally different experience;
When you have to praise through some pain;
When your urgent prayers are put on hold;
And instead of good news;
All you hear are further delays and obstacles;
When the body is too weak and the heart aches;
And all you can do is cry;
How can you praise when the heart is heavy;
And filled with sadness?
Walking with God doesn’t guarantee a stress-free life;
But it is a consolation to know that nothing happens to you;
Without God’s permission;
Even through the darkest times;
He is in control;
That’s why there’s the need;
To always praise in advance;
Praise before your prayer is answered;
Praise before your expectations are met;
God dwells in the praises of His people, right?
Then lift up some praises;
And bring Him down into your situation;
And when God is around;
You know miracles are bound to happen;
Just as we need to turn our worry into worship;
We have to turn our pain into praise;
We can only get the enemy to vomit up our stolen possessions;
By forcing God’s praises down his throat;
We tend to groan and complain when we are in pain;
And begin to have a pessimistic outlook;
And that’s what the enemy wants us to do;
Groan and doubt what God can do;
And lose joy and faith in Him;
But if we praise instead of groan;
Worship instead of worry;
The tables get turned;
And what was meant for our harm;
Turns around for our good.
We only meet certain people in church every week;
And we shake hands with smiling faces;
But we don’t know what each one went through during the week;
We observe some people over excited during praises;
And sometimes wonder what may be the reason;
The gentleman could be praising God for His provision;
And another lady could be praising through her pain;
God inhabits both;
No matter what you may be going through;
A trying moment or a delightful one;
Let praises never cease flowing from your lips;
And keep your heart joyful;
For peace and faith can’t dwell in a disturbed heart;
Praise when you are promoted;
Praise harder when you are rejected;
Because something better is on its way.
© Josephine Amoako 2016
