Praising God is easy when you  see the victory you have been hoping and praying for.

“Praise God, I got the job!”

“Praise God, I’m healed!”

“Praise God, I had enough money to pay all my bills this month!”

When we see the resolution to our problem or we see an answer to our prayers we should offer up praise to God above. The Bible is full of examples of God’s people offering up praises to him after winning a battle, or after receiving a blessing from the Lord,  or after receiving provision in times of need, and especially  after receiving a miracle from the Lord.

One great example of this in the Bible is found in Exodus. After 400 years of slavery in Egypt (Acts 7:6), God directs Moses to go to Pharoah in Egypt and  lead God’s people, the Israelites, to freedom (Exodus 3:10). After ten plagues and much suffering for the Egyptians, Pharoah finally agrees to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. In Exodus 14 we read the account of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to freedom. God instructs Moses to tell the people to camp on the shores of the Red Sea (verse 2). God has a plan. He is going to show his glory to the Egyptians, the Israelites, and all the nations. The Egyptians begin to pursue the Israelites when they realize that are not intending to return to Egypt. They catch up to the Israelites at the Red Sea. Of course, the Israelites begin to panic when they see the Egyptians marching towards them. Moses tells the people in verse 13 to not be afraid and to “stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you (NLT).” God moves on their behalf. He hides the Israelites with his pillar of cloud so that the Egyptians can’t see them (verses 19 and 20), and he directs Moses to raise his hand over the sea. God parts the water, creating a path for them to walk through (verse 21 and 22)! When the Egyptians tried to follow them through the Red Sea, the waters came back  together and destroyed the Egyptians.

Wow, what an amazing demonstration of God’s glory, power, and love for his people! And as you can imagine, the Israelites were full of praises to God in this moment! Exodus 15: 1-20 documents the song of praise that Moses and the Israelites sang to God of their deliverance. Here are some of their praises:

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. He is my God, and I will praise him;he is my father’s God and I will exalt him!The Lord is a Warrior; yes, the Lord is his name!” (verse 1-3, NLT)

“Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right had, O Lord, dashes the enemy to pieces. In the greatness of your majesty. you overthrow those who rose against you.” (verse 6-7, NLT)

“Who else among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is glorious in holliness like you- so awesome in splendor,performing such wonders? You raised up your hand and the earth swallowed our enemies.” (verse 11-12, NLT)

Another great example of praising God after a victory is demonstrated by King David. When you read 1 and 2 Samuel, you see how many times David had to fight serious battles in his life. Not only did he fight for King Saul against the Philistines (defeating Goliath), he had to then fight to stay alive as King Saul tried to kill him! As King, David fought and won battles against the Philistines, the Amelekites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the Moabites, the Arameans. He even had to fight against his own son, Absalom who tried to take his kingdom from him. But David displayed a Spirit of Praise in his victories!

King David wrote many songs of praise to the Lord. One such song of praise according to 2 Samuel 22:1, was “[ David’s Song of Praise ] David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul (NLT).” David sings praises to God for 51 verses. Here are some of his praises from his song:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior,the one who saves me from violence.I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.” (verses 3-4, NLT)

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer,enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. You have given me your shield of victory; your help^[has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.” (verses 31-37, NLT)

“The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted! He is the God who pays back those who harm me, he brings down the nations under me and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.” (verses 47*51, NLT) 

David sings his praises to God for all the victories he has experienced. This is great example for us to follow. When we receive the answer to our prayer, we need to say “Thank you!” Lift our hands to Him, lift our voices to Him. Tell of his greatness, his goodness, his mercy! Praise him for his holiness, his faithfulness, and all his mighty deeds in your life! This is so important. It helps us to remember that  with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27) and that He is the vine; and we are the branches. If we remain in Him we will bear much fruit; but apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5)!

But praising God AFTER the victory is easy. Praising God AFTER we receive the answer to our prayer comes naturally. But what about praising God BEFORE the victory?

Are we offering up praises to God when we are in the thick of the battle? Surrounded by enemies and all seems bleak? Are we offering up praises to God when we are crying out to him and clinging to him in the middle of the storm? When we are laying our hearts before Him in prayer? We need to be. Hebrews 13:15 NIV  says “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

In the New Testament, when you read scriptures about prayer, you see that it is often paired with “thanksgiving.” This is praise. Thanking God for who he is, for his promises, and for what he has done in the past will help you to build faith for what you are praying for now.  But we don’t always do this when we pray. Sometimes we just lay out all that we need God to do for us and then go about our lives waiting for him to give us what we want. We seek the answer to our prayers and not a relationship with Him. I have heard it phrased as “we seek His hand, and not His face.”  We don’t take time in our prayer life to acknowledge how great of a God we serve. Taking time to praise God in the midst of a hard time, in the midst of our prayers, will boost our faith. We are loved by a GREAT God. The God who created this whole earth and everything in it. Who set the stars and the sun and the moon in the sky. A God who is great and just and loving. That is the God we serve. That is the God who tells us to “come boldy” to his “throne of grace”  to “obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16).” When we remind ourselves of God’s wonderful qualities and deeds, we grow confident that God can help us in whatever we are facing.

Let’s look at a few verses to see how God’s Word encourages us to pair praise with our prayers:

Philippians 4:6 NIV
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Colossians 4:2 NIV
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ”

Colossians 1:3 NLT
“[ Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer ] We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It’s evident in the Bible that prayer and praise go together! If you aren’t offering praise with your prayers, get started now! You will experience a boost of faith when you begin to do this. David has given us several examples of pairing prayer and praise in the Psalms. Psalm 57 is a beautiful example of this:

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

 I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey – whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.

My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it.

 My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!

Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.  I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth (NLT).”

Some of you might be excited to get started praising God, but aren’t sure what “praise” really looks like. The NIV Bible defines “praise” as “the joyful thanking and adoring of God, the celebration of His goodness and grace.” The Bible describes people praising God with singing, playing instruments, dancing before God, lifting up their hands in worship, lifting up their voices to Him, singing to Him. Let the Holy Spirit lead you in your praise to the Lord, your God. There is so much we can thank him for!

Would you like to add praises from the Psalms into your prayer life? Click here for an inspiring list of praises straight out of the book of Psalms.

Other related articles and resources:

• Your God-given power tool: Prayer
• Victory Over Your Circumstances
• Prayer Blockers
• Scriptures on Prayer
• Prayer Basics

 

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