Are you trapped in a prison of despair, doubt or anxiety? Learn to release the power of praise. The apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of the Bible’s most unique books. Some scholars call it "the epistle of joy" because the word "joy" or "rejoice" appear in it 16 times. Yet what is amazing is that this letter about Christian joy was written from a prison cell!
While Paul was under the watchful eye of Roman guards, bound in chains, he wrote some of the most uplifting spiritual words ever penned. In the letter’s four short chapters the author continually exhorts us to praise God no matter how dark our circumstances are. He writes: "I will rejoice" (1: 18, NASB), "I rejoice and share my joy with you all" (2: 17), "I urge you, rejoice in the same way" (2: 18), "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord" (3: 1) and "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (4: 4).
"Paul always looked for the hidden blessing in every trial. Have you been complaining about your situation? Grumbling short-circuits faith, but joy revives it."
Like a broken record, Paul hammers the same theme over and over and over. REJOICE! The word "rejoice" actually means "to re-joy." It’s like a reset button on a computer. When any type of electronic equipment goes out of whack, a reset button will get it back online. That is what happens when we rejoice: The joy we’ve lost is restored and our feeble faith rises again.
Perhaps Paul wrote this message to the Philippians because he remembered his first visit there. It was in Philippi that Paul and Silas were arrested and thrown into jail by the city’s magistrates. Yet while the two men sat with their feet fastened in stocks, they began to pray and sing hymns. Long before the invention of subwoofers, this Holy Ghost jam session triggered an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison and shattered everyone’s chains (see Acts 16:25-26).
Do you feel bound by your circumstances? I know I do. Sometimes I feel literally trapped in a tiny prison of limitation and delay. And because of today’s weak economy, many people who have enjoyed a carefree life in the past are facing job loss, financial uncertainty, debt and a dismal lack of opportunity. Yet when I pray about my own situation I always am led back to the ancient words of Paul to the Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord!"
What does Praise Shatter?
Perhaps right now, in this difficult season, you need to put Paul’s message on your iPod and play it over and over. The supernatural joy that is released in praise will do many things:
1. Praise shatters despair. You think your situation is hopeless? Paul was under house arrest, and he couldn’t leave his cell to preach the gospel. Yet he wrote: "Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that [my imprisonment] will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1: 18b-19). Know that God is working behind the scenes. The clouds over your head may be dark, but praise will lift you above them so you can see the sun again.
Illustration: An unknown confederate soldier wrote:
I asked God for strength that I might achieve
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey
I asked for health that I might do greater things
I was given infirmity that I might do better things
I asked for riches that I might be happy
I was given poverty that I might be wise
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life
I was given life that I might enjoy all things
I got nothing that I asked for – but everything I had hoped for
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered
I am among all men most richly blessed.
2. Praise shatters negativity. Have you been complaining about your situation? Stop talking trash. Remember that Paul was in chains when he wrote: "Do all things without grumbling or disputing" (Phil. 2: 14). He knew the children of Israel were barred from the Promised Land because they grumbled against the Lord (1 Cor. 10: 10). Grumbling short-circuits faith, but joy revives it. Paul always looked for the hidden blessing in every trial, to the point that he thanked God even in the midst of shipwrecks, beatings, riots, death threats and starvation.
Illustration: People come to me and tell me about a lot of stuff things, good, bad and ugly. Some are negative and some positive. Some tell me about stuff that seems to be a great deal to them which apparently in the eyes of others it isn’t. We are called to be sensitive and loving to everyone and be kind to others. Sometimes when I understand the issues they are talking about is not actually a great deal but their focus is them and it’s about themselves that is why they are being negative and calling everything a big deal! Just try to focus on others and you will see that your problems are not actually a problem because others have greater problems than us. That is the time we must understand and praise God for the situation we are in. Can God be wrong in putting us in the situation we are in? Sometimes we are where we are because of our own choice and God has allowed it because he wants us to learn from those circumstances. Yet, Praise Him for His mercies that we are alive. Paul said, ‘Rejoice and again I say, Rejoice.’
3. Praise shatters doubt. When we stop praising, we get stuck in the muck and mire of our own problems. All we can see is the here and now. But something supernatural happens when you rejoice in the Lord. You are lifted out of the prison of impossibility and translated into a realm where you can do "all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4: 13). When you praise, you go into a phone booth looking like Clark Kent and you come out looking like Superman!
Illustration: Mr. Jones called his pastor from the hospital one day and frantically said, "Oh, pastor come quickly, my son, John was just bitten by a rattle snake and is at the point of death." Of course the pastor hurried to the side of the worried father. "Pastor, pray for my son!", cried the father, " I have promised the Lord that if my son recovers, I will come back to church and bring my family and will again start living for the Lord."
Of course the pastor prayed. He said, "Dear Lord, we come to you now in behalf of Mr. Jones’ son. We pray that he might recover from this snake bite. We want to praise your name for sending this rattle snake to bite John! This one rattle snake has done what I or the church has been unable to do in the life of Mr. Jones now for over 5 years. During all this time, he has not been interested in his spiritual well-being or the spiritual well-being of his family and this one rattle snake has turned his mind back to you. Lord, could it be, what we may need in the lives of many of our other church members are bigger and better rattle snakes?"
4. Praise shatters anxiety. Paul said that when we hit the "rejoice" button and replace worry with joy-filled prayer, "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4: 7). Joy will calm your anxious heart and allow you to receive the promises of God.
Illustration: Things looked bleak for the children in George Mueller’s orphanage at Ashley Downs in England. It was time for breakfast and there was no food. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Mueller was visiting in the home. Mueller took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do."
In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but also there was no money in the home’s account. The children were all standing around waiting for their breakfasts, and Mr. Muller said to them, "Children, you know we must be in time for school." He then lifted his head and prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat."
Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. "Mr. Muller, I could not sleep last night. Somehow I felt you didn’t have any bread for breakfast, and the Lord wanted me to send you some. So I got up at 2:00 am and baked some fresh bread and here it is." Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God.
Moments later there was a second knock at the door. It was the local milkman whose milk wagon had just broken down in front of Muller’s orphanage. He offered all his milk to Muller and the orphans so he could have his wagon hauled to the nearest repair shop.
Illustration: Way back in 1970 a military chaplain named Merlin Carothers wrote a small book called Prison to Praise. Today it has sold more than 17 million copies in 53 languages. It challenges readers to thank and praise God in the midst of difficulties—and it’s full of testimonies of everyday people who experienced miraculous breakthroughs when they obeyed this simple principle.
What Carothers wrote 40 years ago is still relevant today: "The very act of praise releases the power of God into a set of circumstances and enables God to change them. Miracles, power and victory will all be a part of what God does in our lives when we learn to rejoice in all things."
