Praise Your Way Through | There’s Power in Your Praise, Pt. 1
This morning, I want to begin a new series designed to get you to vocally and visibly bless the Lord because, for some of you, that’s gonna be the only way you make it through life. - Pastor Charlie Dates
Job 1:18-22
While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job got up, tore his robe, and shaved his head; then he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God.
The praise in this passage seems to be out of place. In one chapter, Job lost his children and his fortune. That's a strange place to praise the Lord.
We tend to praise God when everything is going well or when tragedy has been averted.
What makes someone praise God when things aren’t going well?
Whether you realize it or not, there is a battle going on and we have a very real enemy. The enemy desires to destroy you. He comes for no other reason than to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
Life is not a playground, it’s a battleground.
Your enemy wants to rob you of your relationship with God. He wants you to live a depleted and deprived life.
Some of us have lost and been through so much that we ask God to relieve the pain and let us die. The enemy wants to make you think the only reason worth living is the stuff you've accumulated, the people you love, and the places you go.
If you want to overcome the trauma and trials of life, there is a path forward…
You overcome by opening your mouth and praising the Lord. Not just for the good things, but also in the midst of the bad times.
Praise is powerful.
Today’s text gives us two reasons to praise God:
1. Praise defeats your enemy.
In Job 1:9, the accuser of the brethren says Job’s righteousness is because God has blessed Job materially.
Satan had a point. A lot of people worship God for the rewards. The Bible says that your obedience results in certain rewards (Proverbs 39:10, Deuteronomy 5:29, Luke 6:38).
People who worship God for the rewards are actually worshipping themselves. They praise God so that God will do something for them. So in the end, it’s not about God, it’s about them.
There are a lot of people in church who are more in love with God’s hands than they are with God’s face. His hands deliver the benefits and rewards. His face is the sheer beauty of his person.
Satan thought Job would curse God if Job lost everything, but instead, he praised God. The devil is counting on you to fall apart and lose faith. But when you don’t, the enemy is silenced.
2. Praise enthrones God.
On one hand, the enemy is defeated, and on the other, God is exalted.
God can restore more to your life than what you thought the devil took away.
Job recognized that everything he lost belonged to God. He fell at the feet of the God who took everything from him.
Job doesn’t look at what he lost. He lifts his gaze and blesses God.
In the end, Job made it to the other side. He lost everything he had, his friends accused him, but he didn’t give up. The one Job blessed ended up blessing Job. God gave him double for his trouble.
How does this apply to us?
When Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, he brought back everything you lost. Peace. Joy. Hope.
He gave it all back.
Reflection Questions
When faced with loss or trials, do you find it difficult to praise God? Why or why not?
How does your praise reflect your relationship with God—are you more focused on His blessings or on His presence?
If there were no benefits to serving God, would you still do it?
This week, how can you intentionally praise God in a challenging situation, trusting Him to work in your life?