To face these days without fear we must praise Him…
Isaiah 12 – And in that day you will say: O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: “Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Henry says – Though God may for a time be angry with his people, yet his anger shall be turned away; it endures but for a moment… The turning away of God’s anger, and the return of His comforts to us, ought to be the matter of our joyful thankful praises.
We ought to triumph in our God
We are taught to triumph in God: ‘God is my salvation’; not only my Saviour, by whom I am saved, but my salvation, in whom I am safe. I depend upon him as my salvation… He shall have the glory of all the salvations that have been wrought for me, and from him only will I expect the salvations I further need… and if God be my salvation, if he undertake my eternal salvation, I will trust in him to prepare me for it and preserve me to it. I will trust him with all my temporal concerns, not doubting but he will make all to work for my good. I will be confident, that is, I will be always easy in my own mind.
The assurances God has given us of his love, and the experiences we have had of the benefit and comfort of his grace, should greatly encourage our faith in him and our expectations from him.
God’s promises revealed, ratified, and given out to us, in his ordinances, are wells of salvation; It is our duty by faith to draw water out of these wells, to take to ourselves the benefit and comfort that are treasured up for us in them…
How we must praise the Lord. 1). By prayer – Call upon his name. Reminding Him of former mercies … is graciously accepted as a thankful acknowledgment of the mercies we have received. 2). By preaching and writing – We must not only speak to God, but speak to others concerning him, not only call upon his name, but proclaim his name; 3). By a holy exultation and transport of joy: – “Cry out and shout; welcome the gospel to yourselves and publish it to others”.
Adapted from Matthew Henry Commentary
Praise Him always
It’s easy to praise God when something good has just happened to us. But I have found that in those times when I least ‘feel’ like it – praise is the answer for my breakthrough. Praise realigns our hearts, minds and spirit with our Creator. It brings us closer to His heartbeat. It inclines His ear to our prayers. Praise raises us up above our circumstances and positions us to receive all the goodness of heaven. And ultimately praise causes our fears to take flight, for we position the Lord above them all. Let’s be a people who have the praises of the Lord always on our lips.
Praise The answer is to praise Me In every situation. My blessings you will see As I build a new creation. My life you cannot earn. With joy, you will receive, In faith you must now turn Accept my word, believe. All memories I’ll erase Of earthly ways demanding. For through my power and praise I offer a new understanding. Forget your fears and doubts, Your worries, the guilt and sin. My love I will pour out, As you praise me from deep within. In all your times of trial Just praise me more and more. As you rest in Me awhile Your soul, I will restore. Go forward now in praise, My love will never cease. I’ll fill your earthly days With My eternal peace. By the late Andrew Feakin (passed away 16th March 2019)
Prayer: Father forgive me failing to give You all the praise and honour due to You. Forgive me for when I have taken any credit for myself that should’ve been attributed to You. Show me how to draw from the wells of salvation, that as David said in Psalm 34, ‘I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.’ May Your praise always be on my lips. In Jesus name, Amen.