By Minister André Powell
Throughout our lives we are given so many options. We start the day with options: What am I going to wear? Should I eat breakfast or not eat breakfast? What car am I driving to work today? Which way am I going to work today? Do I want XBOX or Playstation 3? Do I want an iPhone or Android? We also have options when we deal with people: I really don’t like so-and-so, so should I give them the right answer or the wrong answer? 
With all these options in our lives, we get to make choices – and that is the fun part because in turn we see the consequences of our actions. We have a choice to almost everything that we do. But when did it become common place and okay to choose evil over good? As the world waxes more and more evil, we see so many choices that the world has deemed good or tolerable, but they are in fact evil and spoken against by God.
As for me today, I choose to praise Him. Some people may not see the point to praising the Lord. I'm going to take the time to share why I do. I choose to praise Him: 1) because it helps me get through things I’m dealing with, 2) because there is power in praise and 3) because the Lord will inhabit my praise.
My first example is Job. In the book of Job, he lost everything – his family, wealth and livelihood, and even his body broke out with a skin affliction. His friends even blamed him for the situation. Even though he was going through, Job never cursed God. Instead he took that time to praise him with a “yet praise.” Job 13:15 says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
My second example is Paul and Silas in Acts 16. In this chapter, they are beaten repeatedly and thrown in the inner jail of the prison for preaching the gospel. I have to think that once they got over the pain of their ordeal they remembered what they were preaching about. They prayed first and praised until things happened. There was a mighty earthquake and everyone in the jail was set free – but no one left that atmosphere of praise. If you keep reading, you find out that the jailer would have killed himself had Paul not discouraged him to do that. As a result, the jailer and his household ended up getting saved. Realize that when you choose to praise God, the benefit may not just be for you. Other lives will be changed because you chose to praise the Lord of your salvation. Someone else also came to Christ because of Paul and Silas’ praise. God used the earthquake to stir the jailer, but the earthquake happened because they praised God.
Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. The Bible also lets us know that His Word will not return void. I have decided that I want to get closer to God, and I need Him more than anything. So in knowing that He will inhabit my praise, why wouldn’t I praise Him? Why wouldn’t I want praise Him in such a way that He would inhabit every last bit of my praise? It only makes logical sense, right?
Saints and friends, it is key that we believe in the God we are praising. He makes things better when we praise. Have you ever been sad and tried to praise the Lord? I bet you felt better after you did it! I believe in the God I serve because He has proven Himself. I get joy when I think about all that He has done for me. Today, I choose to praise Him. Tomorrow, I choose to praise Him. Forever, I'll choose to praise Him.
Be blessed, be encouraged, and be edified. Choose to praise Him!