Give God Praise in Advance

Let's take a look at the celebration of God's people after their deliverance from Pharaoh. Exodus the 15th chapter tells about Miriam (Moses older sister) taking a tambourine and leading the ladies in a victory dance after the Lord destroyed Pharaoh and his army. I am presuming you've read the story before.

Well, I guess I can't blame them. After all, God freed them from being slaves, they came out of bondage with as much gold and silver as they could carry and all of the enemy soldiers that were chasing them were now dead. Yeah, I guess that's a good reason to dance and sing for a while. And it's good that they took time to dance before the Lord and praise Him in a very raucous manner. They probably did some shouting. Kinda like Florida and Georgia fans in the Gator Bowl, huh?

Here's the rub. God promised that miracle to their forefather Abraham over 500 years before that. Here is what God said. Genesis 15:13--KJV--And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  vs 14--And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

We can look at this story and say, "They had the promise. They knew they had been there for 400 years already. Why didn't they start praising the Lord and getting excited." Instead, they griped and complained to Moses (Exodus 5).

Unfortunately, we are the same way. We have read all of the great promises of Almighty God. We believe that He sent His Son to die for us and come back from the dead. There are preachers who can preach this particular message with such dynamic zeal that we would shout about it for weeks.

AND at the same time, we will gripe, nag, and bellyache about what we are going through, The same God that delivered the Hebrews from Pharaoh had given His promise that He would answer our prayer that was prayed in the name of Jesus (John 14:13).

You can say that if the Hebrews really believed God's Word to their forefather Abraham, then they had the right to dance, sing and shout. When Moses came back home and made his announcement about God speaking to him through a burning bush, THAT's when Miriam should have lead the women in a song and a dance. Every time Pharaoh said "No" to Moses' demand they could have danced and praised louder and longer. Why? Because no matter what it looked like, God was fixing to change the entire situation. They had the right to praise God in advance.

We have that same option. The same God has given us so many promises in His Word. Will He ever break a promise? Absolutely not. Then, no matter what it looks like, we have a right to shout and sing the praises of God. We can praise Him NOT for what it looks like right at this very moment but for what HE is going to make it in the future.

Praising God in advance builds stamina and courage in the heart of a Christian. It also encourages the younger Christians who are struggling with their faith. When we give God praise in advance for what He is going to do, it becomes a great testimony to the sinner when they see God working for you. If you are married and have children, it makes an impression on your children. When your children see a miracle they have to admit that there is something to this God-thing.

The bottom line---pull yourself up by the bootstraps and praise God in advance for what He has declared in His Word to do. Praise Him for saving your lost loved ones. Praise Him for healing. Praise Him for revival. Praise Him for the outpouring of His soul-saving power. Praise Him for changing the minds of the ungodly leaders. Praise Him for interfering with the evil plans against the innocent.

Praise Him when it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Then praise Him when He answers in a different way than you thought He would. According to Psalm 8:2, praise stops the enemy from his evil work. And I'm all for that.