Praise Point

Acts 16:^35-36 “The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” So, the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

After reading today’s anchor scripture, I wrestled with it. God is All-knowing, He created the heavens and the earth, He knew that they were going to release Paul and Silas the following day. Obviously, their release did not come as a surprise to God. So, why all the drama? The violent earthquake, chains breaking, and doors flying open. If their testimony was that they praised God at night and in the morning, they were released, that would still have been a miracle. So, why put resources into shaking the earth, breaking doors, and chains, and make everyone panic? It is because our God is a God of Efizzy [slang meaning special effects].

Think about it; the city officials were not responding to the event that happened over night. They were probably oblivious of it. They probably realized that they could not hold Paul and Silas any longer without any charge against them. So, they ordered their release. But God still chose to shake the earth, break the doors, and break chains the night before. God can delegate the answers to prayers; He can send angels, ravens, floods, or hail stones. He has so many messengers. But when we praise, God attends to our praise Himself. When Paul and Silas were praising, God had to show up. No angel [created] has the capacity or audacity to receive our praise. The Person that receives our praise is Jehovah, our Father.

It is important to know that sacrifice determines the weight of praise; sometimes the sacrifice is monetary and sometimes it is experiential. Paul and Silas were in chains and they were praising God. I can imagine them singing, “You are God alone from before time began. You were on Your throne. You are God alone. And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne and you are God alone.” We need to realize that regardless of our situations, in the good or bad times, God is on His throne. Paul and Silas continued to sing, “Unchangeable, unshakable, unstoppable; That’s what You are.” God probably said, ‘Did you just say that I am God by Myself and that I cannot be charged to court? Who dare charge my children to court when I have justified them?’

The point of praise is the beginning of the turning point of your life. God inhabits the praises of His people. For some reading this today, you cannot confidently say that you are God’s own. It is time to give your life to God or rededicate your life to Him. As a sign of surrender, I want you to lift both hands to God now, wherever you are. God sees you and He will come into your heart. Even as we are at the point of praise, God will do what only He can do in our lives. We will hear the sound of breakthroughs and see things turn around for good in our lives, our destinies, our finances, our children, and our marriages, in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!

Prayer: Father, regardless of my circumstances Your praise will not depart from my mouth. Morning, noon, and night, I commit to consistent heartfelt praise, in Jesus Name. Amen!