praise changes everything

PRAISE CHANGES EVERYTHING!






by Donna Churchill


Several years ago, I was at my kitchen table one day, having just finished breakfast and reading my morning devotional. I was looking out the window, thinking and talking to the Lord. The wind was blowing like crazy and the trees outside my window were swaying back and forth, the branches slapping one another as they were tossed to and fro. In that moment, I sensed the Lord say to me, “Donna, the trees are praising me because you are not.”


Wow! My mind immediately went to the Scripture in Luke (10:37) where the Pharisees had asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples because they were joyfully and loudly praising God for all the miracles they had seen Jesus perform. Jesus said to them, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”


Revelation began to burst forth in my spirit that day and several other scriptures came to mind. The first one was Isaiah 61:1-3 which says,


“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”


I began to see that


Praise changes your focus.
Praise changes your focus.


For a long time, I had been troubled by a situation I had absolutely no control over. I worried and fretted like never before in my life. I am not normally a worrier by nature – it’s just not who I am – but I think I did more worrying about that situation in one year than I had about any other thing in all other years combined!!


I just did not know how to deal with this particular situation, had never walked through anything like it, and was totally unprepared for it.


But, in that instant there at the breakfast table, I knew – PRAISE – would change my focus!



I saw the truth, was reminded of this truth that I had lost sight of. As I began to praise the Lord, my focus shifted from the situation to the Lord and as I was drawn to the Lord, my faith was strengthened and my joy renewed. As I focused on the Lord, the enormity of my situation decreased and God’s might in the situation increased and it changed my whole perspective.


The Scripture tells us that the Lord gives to us the “garment of praise.” A garment is something that you put on; it’s a covering for your body; a wrap. So, praise is a garment you clothe yourself with. Just as you choose which garment to put on your body each morning, you can choose to put on the garment of praise.


“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness: and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the most high.” Psalm 7:17


“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most high. Psalm 9:1 2


“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1


Our focus changes from our problems to His majesty when we choose to praise Him! We realize that nothing about our situation changes anything about who He is…about His character. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is sovereign over all and already knows all about the situation we are walking through. He has known all along and has already make provision for us.


Praise is also a weapon we use to execute vengeance upon the enemy of our soul. Psalm 149 shows us this very clearly:


“Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains ad their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones, Praise the Lord!”


Psalms 144 through 150 are beautiful praise songs to the Lord and show us much about how praise moves the hand of God on our behalf.


We are made to praise the Lord! We praise Him for who He is, for what He’s done, for what He’s going to do and for driving back the enemy of our souls. We praise Him because His word commands us to. We praise Him because praise changes our focus; praise changes everything. We praise Him because praise is a gift He has given us; a gift to be opened and used, but most of all, we praise Him because He, above all else, is worthy to be praised!!



“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 150:6


​