08/26/2026
THREE THINGS PRAISE ACTUALLY DOES (THAT MOST PEOPLE MISS)
First, praise tells the truth. It doesn't lift us out of what we're walking through, and it doesn't ask us to pretend everything's fine. Faith doesn't require us lying about what we're experiencing.
We can say it out loud: I don't know how I'm going to pay rent next month. I don't know how I'm going to cover school for my kids. This hurts, and I don't understand it. Habakkuk landed in the same place, in Habakkuk 3:18: "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!"
Second, praise declares who God is before the breakthrough shows up. It's easy to praise five minutes after He comes through: the promotion, the baby, the good deal on meat at the store. Praise God before those things come through.
Third, praise says God is still good when nothing has changed yet. It gets powerful the moment it stops depending on the outcome: "You are still good, despite what's going on."
When our praise depends on how we feel, we've handed our circumstances the authority to decide whether God is worthy. He's worthy either way. So what changes this week if you praise Him before anything changes?