PRAISING GOD GIVES POWER

The tribe of Judah, fourth son of Jacob, was chosen to be the one through whom the Savior would come. His name means "praise." We don’t know exactly why Judah’s descendants were chosen to bring Jesus into the world, but it could be because God wants us to understand how important it is to praise Him at all times.

Consider Judah’s experiences with God. In Genesis 37:25-27 we read how he persuaded his brothers to not kill Joseph but rather sell him to an Ishmaelite caravan that was passing by. No doubt he later praised God that Joseph’s life was saved, although he didn’t know what became of him. He apparently loved Joseph even though like his brothers he was jealous of him.

Judah was not a godly man. In Genesis 38 we read that he married a Canaanite woman (an unbeliever) although he surely knew that his father Jacob (and God) disapproved of it. He had two sons that he must have enjoyed for a time, but they were evil and God slew them both.

Tamar, the wife Judah had chosen for his son Er must have been disappointed to have no children and then be set aside as a widow with no future. Tamar was lonely and irritated with Judah, so she deceived him into sleeping with her thinking she was a prostitute.

This true story is full of sin, disappointment, and failure! It seems there is nothing good we can learn through it. But we should use our imagination. God has given each of us an imagination to fill in the blank spaces, to try to understand how these people in the Old Testament must have felt.

They didn’t have the Holy Spirit to help them avoid evil. These early patriarchs didn’t even have the Scriptures! They stumbled around in life, yet in the end these people must have learned something about God and must have had some victories in life.

Surely by the end of his life Judah learned to live up to his name – to praise God for His mercy and faithfulness. This whole story is meant to teach us the importance of repenting of our sins and always praising God for His forgiveness and His restoration.

Let’s not live in constant disappointment and sorrow for our mistakes because of what we have done with our lives. Rise up today and begin to PRAISE GOD for still loving you. He has a hope and a future planned for you. God will still use your broken life if you repent and yield to Him. Praising God can heal you and give you joy that will fill your days and make you a blessing to others.

PRAISING GOD

Praising God is powerful. It breaks the bonds of doubt.
Praise delivers from selfishness. It lets God’s love flow out.
Praise stirs up faith and joy, gives energy and power.
Our most important step of faith is to start praising God this hour.

Don’t wait for happy feelings or proof that God is near.
Whatever the mountain before us, we must not give in to fear.
God is good and God is great. He walks with us each day.
When we praise Him for His loving grace, we find strength along the way.
by Rosemary Watson

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15