When Praise Goes Out Ahead
Well, come on up to this ol’ front porch, friend, and scoot that basket of tomatoes aside before somebody sits down and makes salsa the hard way. I’m plum glad you stopped by. Sometimes we treat thanksgiving like the fancy dishes in Grandma’s cupboard. We haul it out for special occasions when God meant for gratitude to be used every single day.
King Jehoshaphat understood that praise wasn’t just somethin’ you did after the battle. In 2 Chronicles 20:21-24, he sent singers ahead of the army praising God. Mercy, imagine bein’ told, “The enemy’s waitin’, so choir members, y’all go first!” I’d have been lookin’ around like a peacock that just discovered somebody volunteered its tail feathers.
But as Judah praised, God plum went to work.
That’s the heart of Psalm 95:2, which says, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” We come into God’s presence with thanksgiving before we sho’-nuff’ know how everything is gonna turn out. Praise says, “Lord, I trust Your character even while I’m still waitin’ on the outcome.”
Then there were ten men healed by Jesus in Luke 17:11-19. All ten received mercy, but only one turned back praising God. Sometimes we’re quicker to holler for help than we are to circle back and say thanks.
Psalm 107:8 says, “Let them praise the Lord for His goodness.” And Psalm 69:30 adds, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Gratitude magnifies God instead of magnifying the trouble.
Father, forgive me for receiving Your blessings and hurryin’ along without thanking You. Teach me to praise You before the answer, after the answer, and while I’m still waiting. Make gratitude the daily language of my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alright now, friend, head on out before that ol’ bobcat yonder starts wonderin’ why we’re still sittin’ on his big lookout rock. Don’t wait till every battle is done finished before you git to praisin’. A creek don’t stop singin’ because there’s a rock in its path. Let thanksgiving go out ahead of you. Praise God on the way because sometimes worship is how the heart remembers that the battle already belongs to Him.
With joy,
Gwen
