Now HopeSample

Proactive praise stirs up hope, even when we’re not feeling it Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [emphasis added] One of the most powerful ways to activate hope is what I call the ‘shout of praise’. Many years ago, I was invited to the ten-year anniversary for our church’s Asian ministry. Whenever we celebrated something that had happened over that time, the MC would stand up and say, ‘Yum sing.’ And everybody would stand to their feet and echo after him, ‘YUUUM SING’ – becoming louder and louder as the night went on. I didn’t have a clue what he was saying, but by the end of the night, we were all chorusing, ‘YUUUUUUUUM SINGGGG!!!’ I finally asked, ‘What’s that all about?’ Someone nearby told me that, in ancient times, when warriors would prepare to go to war, they would cry out, ‘Yum sing’ or ‘The victory is ours!’ You might be saying, ‘I need a breakthrough, but nothing’s changing.’ Have you rejoiced over the victory that is coming? The decision to praise God is a major key in activating hope and, in turn, faith. We may not feel like rejoicing. Our circumstances may be telling us that there is nothing to rejoice about. But we can still choose to lean into the presence of God. Praise is a decision, not an event. It’s not something we do for half an hour on Sunday at church, and then forget about for the rest of the week. Hopeful praise can change our atmosphere and realigns our circumstances, putting them into perspective. Psalm 34:1 (NKJV) doesn’t say, ‘I will bless the Lord when I’m feeling good. I’ve just had a pay rise, I’m on holiday, I’ve got no pressures, everything is going well, so I’ll praise the Lord.’ It says, ‘ His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ Non-stop. Unconditionally. At all times. Often, I have had to say out loud, ‘I’m going to praise God.’ Even when I don’t feel like it, I literally tell myself to praise the Lord – to be thankful to Him and bless His name. You may be saying, ‘Yeah, but I’ve got nothing that’s good. No praise reports.’ It’s got nothing to do with your ‘nothing’. It’s got to do with who God is. He is worthy of our praise at all times. Acts 16 tells us of Paul and Silas, in prison for sharing the Gospel. It’s the middle of the night, they look at each other and say, ‘Let’s sing. Let’s shout it out. Let’s let everybody know that no matter what chains we’re in, God is in control.’ What’s the result? Their praise stirs up an earthquake. Their praise not only opens the doors of the prison, but it opens the doors of the jailer’s heart. That night, the jailer and everyone who lived in his household were saved. I’m telling you, there’s something powerful about praising God. If the enemy is trying to take something from you, make a decision to stir up hope and praise louder anyway. Put on some praise music, sing it out loud. Write down some things you can thank and praise Him for. Make the decision to declare that victory is on its way. Try starting every day this week with, ‘YUUUUUUUUUM SINGGG!!!’