Praising God is one of the greatest acts of faith based worship.
What in the world was Paul thinking? He’d been beaten. Was in chains inside a Roman jail. And he’s praising God in the midst of it all. What?
Here’s what Paul knew – the future. He knew there was a certain Philippian correctional officer who was ripe for the harvest. And the only way to reach him was to be inside the jail.
Paul could have avoided all of this by using his get out of jail free card – his Roman citizenship. You can’t beat or jail a Roman without a trail, which Paul didn’t get.
Why didn’t Paul exercise his legal rights? To fulfill His God given purpose of sharing the gospel where others had never gone before.
Paul is not only in this officer’s jail, but he’s also sharing about Jesus through praising God. After a little cage rattling, this correctional officer and his entire family came to faith in Jesus.
Now think about this. God has told us the future as well. He will change our lives to be like Jesus. It can occur today and tomorrow, but definitely when we step into eternity (1 John 3:2).
Therefore, we should praise Him by faith in the midst of the change process, no matter how difficult it may be or where we find ourselves. We praise Him by faith because we know He will finish the job.
We often think of praising God after He’s done something. This is true. But it’s also true that we should praise Him in the midst of the process knowing that our current struggle will not last forever.
Yes, life-change is difficult, especially the longer the “flesh” or old thinking/brain wiring has been around. Yet, our lives will be changed! So instead of a dour look, we should praise Him by faith in the moment with a smile.
Let your face know that God is at work within you. Praise by Him faith.