Be A Pit Praiser
It's easy to give God praise when things are going well, but we all have times when life throws us curves, we get discouraged and go around feeling like we're in the pits. We think, "When I get out of this mess, or break this addiction, or my health improves, then I'll thank God and get my joy back." But that's backward. You have to first give God praise because praise is what activates God's favor and causes things to turn around. The pit is simply a test to see if You will trust Him. Don't wait till you get out of the pit; be a pit praiser.
In Genesis 37, God gave Joseph a dream that one day his family would bow down before him, which made his brothers jealous. Their hatred toward him became so great that they grabbed him in the shepherds' fields and threw him into a pit, intending to leave him there to die. But as his brothers were having lunch, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites passing by. One of the brothers named Judah said, "Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites as a slave," which saved Joseph's life. It's interesting that the name Judah means "praise." God was showing us that praise protects the dream. The other brothers wanted to take Joseph's life, but "praise" rose up and protected him, praise changed the opposition's mind, praise pushed back the forces of darkness.
The dreams that God has put in you are not going to come to pass without opposition. There will be times when you're doing the right thing but the wrong thing is happening. Don't get bitter; it's all a part of God's plan. The key is what you do when you're in the pit. When life takes an unexpected turn and you're tempted to get sour and start complaining, all that's going to do is keep you in the pit. You have to wake up Judah. When you're in the pit, don't complain—turn up your praise. "Praise" is in you. Rather than wait for someone to deliver you, to pray for you, to cheer you up, get Judah up and start thanking God that He's turning things around.
When you can praise God in the pit, when you have a song in your heart when every circumstance says you should be depressed, when you say, "Lord, I bless You in spite of what hasn't gone my way," get ready for God to show out in your life. David said, "God lifted me out of the pit and set my feet upon a rock" (Psalm 40:2). Praise brings you out of the pit. God is looking for some pit praisers, people who praise Him no matter what happens.
In Genesis 37, God gave Joseph a dream that one day his family would bow down before him, which made his brothers jealous. Their hatred toward him became so great that they grabbed him in the shepherds' fields and threw him into a pit, intending to leave him there to die. But as his brothers were having lunch, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites passing by. One of the brothers named Judah said, "Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites as a slave," which saved Joseph's life. It's interesting that the name Judah means "praise." God was showing us that praise protects the dream. The other brothers wanted to take Joseph's life, but "praise" rose up and protected him, praise changed the opposition's mind, praise pushed back the forces of darkness.
The dreams that God has put in you are not going to come to pass without opposition. There will be times when you're doing the right thing but the wrong thing is happening. Don't get bitter; it's all a part of God's plan. The key is what you do when you're in the pit. When life takes an unexpected turn and you're tempted to get sour and start complaining, all that's going to do is keep you in the pit. You have to wake up Judah. When you're in the pit, don't complain—turn up your praise. "Praise" is in you. Rather than wait for someone to deliver you, to pray for you, to cheer you up, get Judah up and start thanking God that He's turning things around.
When you can praise God in the pit, when you have a song in your heart when every circumstance says you should be depressed, when you say, "Lord, I bless You in spite of what hasn't gone my way," get ready for God to show out in your life. David said, "God lifted me out of the pit and set my feet upon a rock" (Psalm 40:2). Praise brings you out of the pit. God is looking for some pit praisers, people who praise Him no matter what happens.