I heard the story of a young man who was preparing for a job interview. After much preparations, God told him; “Son, can you invest 1 hour in praises before leaving for your interview today?” It looked weird, but he obeyed all the same. As God would have it, he came into the premises of the organization just at the time the CEO of the company was walking in. The man took a liking to him as he saw him. He got the job through the wonders of praise.
Friend, praise is a divine strategy that wrought wonders. (Exodus 15:11). Anytime God wants to do something amazing in the lives of His people, praises must go up first. Most times, we face life’s challenges with prayers, and it seems to be our default setting. We have concluded that there is nothing too big for prayers to do. As true as this might be, we should realise that what works is divine strategy, not necessarily prayers (Ecclesiastes 10:15).
If you pray where you are supposed to run, you would still be defeated (1 Thessalonians 5:22). If you keep throwing prayers at an issue that should require praises, you might be stuck in the same issue for long (2 Chronicles 20:15-22). Perhaps believers are defeated because they want to make a method out of an instruction. God is dynamic. He does not always win the same battle with the same strategy.
Have you wondered about the secret of David’s victories in battles? He always enquired from God (1 Samuel 30:8, 2 Samuel 5:23-24). He would not assume that what worked yesterday or last year would work this time around. He always depended on God even to the minutest details. Most defeats are reflections of our assumption. Until God speaks, He has not spoken.
I noticed that when God’s people want to begin or advance on a matter, Judah (praise) must go up first (Judges 1:2, 20:18). Praise must herald every divine manifestation. The reason is simple; God rides on the wings of our praises (Psalms 22:3). It is when praise goes up that God shows up, and it is when God shows up that we can make real progress.
This season, let praises go up first. Instead of bombarding heaven with your needs, why not send praises up? Rather than going about complaining and murmuring, why not go about praising God (Psalms 34:1)? Inside praise is direction, rest, and the right strategy. Let Judah go up first; in your private time with God, in your decision-making, etc. Let praises go up first, and blessings will come down (Psalms 67:5-7). Amen.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria