Praise Anyway! No matter what, His praise shall continually be in my mouth. It's 'praise o'clock'!

[0:00] I'm going to the Word of God to Habakkuk. I had to ask my wife, where's Habakkuk? Don't worry, we've got the verses there so you can watch along.

[0:12] It's talking about the subject of praising God. And people can often think about praise, about praising God, as something we give to God when He does something for us and when we're feeling good about that.

[0:24] But no, it's even when things are not good, even when our world's falling apart, we should praise Him anyway.

[0:37] We should praise Him. Keep on praising. God says to keep on praising Him. And people of God know today the power of praise. We're going to look at some examples of the power of praise.

[0:51] And like the prophet Habakkuk shows us in Habakkuk 2, and people might know these words as has been popularised in a song.

[1:04] As Habakkuk says this, he says, Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines.

[1:16] The labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

[1:33] Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.

[1:52] We can learn to praise God when it's hard to praise. Even when we don't feel like it. Even when praise seems impossible.

[2:05] Even when our circumstances overwhelm us. We can get weary, and feel like things are hopeless. But our praise is not dependent on our emotions, or about what's happening.

[2:22] Our praise can be sustained, even in the most hardest of times. And that's what God wants for us. Like Habakkuk, even when life is hard, we can still praise Him.

[2:37] We can praise God in those difficult seasons of life. And that's what He wants us to do. He wants us to keep on praising. To praise God for who He is.

[2:52] It seems like everything was going wrong here in Habakkuk's time. The crops failing. No fruit on the vines. No livestock.

[3:04] This was desperate. This was an absolute disaster. They didn't have the coals or the woolies down on the corner, or the veggie shop. They didn't have the things that we have, that we take for granted.

[3:17] We can just go down the shop anytime we like it. This was more than just some kind of inconvenience. This was absolute crisis. This was a famine, a life-threatening disaster.

[3:30] This was dire straits. Now, sometimes we can face times, seasons in our lives where things seem pretty tough going.

[3:42] It may not be a literal famine like in Habakkuk's time, but maybe it's a dry spell in our career, in our finances, our health, worries of this or that, relationship breakdown or troubles.

[3:56] And our natural response to hardship is to shut down, to pout, to throw our hands up in the air, to whine, to complain, to focus on the pain.

[4:10] I know Julie corrects me now and again when I have these whinging times. I'm like that. I don't know about you. I'm sure you're not like that. But, you know, it's the natural response, isn't it?

[4:23] Things are tough. You think, oh, I'm just a bit too tired. I'm feeling weary. I'm feeling like things are pretty rotten here and there. But Habakkuk, he chooses a different path here, doesn't he?

[4:34] He lifts up his eyes off of his circumstances and he says, yet, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.

[4:48] Habakkuk says, I will. He doesn't say, I feel like praising. He would rather not, probably. He probably would say, I don't feel like praising.

[5:00] But he says, I will. I will. It was an act of the will, a conscious decision. And praise is sometimes a sacrifice. It talks about Hebrews 13, 15, a sacrifice of praise.

[5:15] Now, I'm sure some of you don't get up on a Sunday morning and say, oh, I don't feel like going to church today. I don't feel like going to church today. It doesn't matter what we feel like, all right?

[5:28] It's going to do us good, all right? It's not about how we feel. I don't feel like praising God today. But he says we ought to do it. Amen? And we're going to be better for it, having done it.

[5:38] All right? Hopefully you feel better after church today, even if you didn't really feel like coming today. There's a sacrifice of praise. That's a good thing. Amen? A sacrifice. Why? Because it costs us something in moments of despair, the sacrifice.

[5:52] God sees that, that it's your heart, giving when you don't humanly feel like giving. And true praise, it flows from faith, doesn't it? It's praise that trusts him. We praise him because God remains good, even when life is hard, even when the situation is bleak.

[6:09] And look, I'm not meaning to sound flippant about that, because that could be exactly where you're sitting today. And look, God knows where you're at. God knows what's your crisis situation.

[6:22] But be like Habakkuk. There's no fruit on the vine. There's no stock in the paddock.

[6:33] There's no fruit. There's no harvest. The olive's failing. I don't know where my next meal's going to come from.

[6:45] Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will join the God of my salvation. It's praise that trusts him. Trusts him.

[6:55] We praise him because he's good, even when life is hard. And it's a praise that doesn't stop. That's the kind of praise he wants from our lips. And we see many times it talks of such a praise.

[7:08] As Philippians 4 verse 4, Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord. And again, I say, Rejoice.

[7:19] He says, Rejoice. Always rejoice. And rejoice again. And again. Keep on rejoicing. Always. It's a praise that doesn't stop.

[7:29] When Paul wrote these words, he was a prisoner, but he was in Rome writing to the Philippians. Paul was in a Roman prison under house arrest at this very time. And he could have complained a whole lot, but he says rejoice.

[7:43] And he tells others rejoice. It doesn't say rejoice except when life is hard. Rejoice except when you go through misfortune. It says rejoice always. All the time.

[7:54] Time after time. It's when we don't feel like praising. All the time. Praising God. That is often the time we need to do it the most. When we don't really feel like it.

[8:05] In those moments. The praise. Becomes a statement of faith. Doesn't it? God is still worthy. He's still on the throne. He loves me.

[8:15] Even though things are hard. And I can't understand what he's doing right now. The power of praise. It shifts our perspective as well. As Habakkuk tells us more.

[8:26] The Lord God is my strength. And he will make my feet like hinds feet. And he will make me to walk upon mine high places. He says God is my strength. He's going to make me to walk on higher ground.

[8:39] Habakkuk turns his heart to praise. And his entire perspective shifts. Even in times of disaster. We can make a declaration of faith. Of strength. When we choose to praise God in the difficult moments.

[8:51] Those difficult seasons. It doesn't necessarily change our situation. But it changes us. Doesn't it? God's with me. No matter what. No matter what. And praise opens the door.

[9:03] In those circumstances. Where he lifts our hearts. And he lifts us to that higher perspective. He helps us see God's strength is sustaining. And just like that deer.

[9:14] That can traverse those mountainous hillsides. And you see pictures of them. You see videos of deer or goats and such. That walk up virtually vertical slopes.

[9:28] Don't they? They just got this snack. Of navigating the high and difficult terrain. And God's going to help you. To be like a deer.

[9:39] Who will walk up the high places. Through the tough times. He's going to give you sure footing. To keep you strong. To get you through. To lift you high. And when we praise.

[9:49] We're lifted. Out of the valley. God gives us the ability to see things differently. That we can go to the high places as it were. We'll see things from a heavenly perspective. And at the heart of Habakkuk's praise is his trust.

[10:03] In God. His saviour. We see that in verse 18. I will join the God of my salvation. Even if everything fails. You've got salvation.

[10:14] You're saved. It's grace all the way. That you can thank him. He's the God. He's the God who saves me. He's my ultimate hope. He's my joy. And no matter what.

[10:24] We know that the Lord Jesus has saved us. Even when we're feeling like throwing in the towel. Even when we're feeling like we're unworthy. Which is all the time.

[10:35] We know that the Lord Jesus has saved us. Don't we? But he alone has all the glory. And his is the praise. We can give him all the praise. No matter the situation. When we don't feel like praising.

[10:46] Even more so. Let's remind ourselves of what he has done for us. The great grace of God. That he's given through Christ. And our feelings are temporary.

[10:58] But our salvation is eternal. Isn't it? We might feel low down. Weighed down. Burdened down. But God is the God of my salvation. And we can praise him.

[11:10] When we don't feel like it. We can praise him. When we feel like not doing it. We can praise him. We can know God's saving power. Because as saved people. It's only the grace that has saved us in the beginning.

[11:22] Isn't it? That everything the cross means for us. Everything that he's done. Everything is given. The very gift of his salvation. We can learn to praise God. In all of the seasons of life.

[11:33] Even when life seems bleak. We can say. Yet I will. Rejoice in the Lord. Yet I will. Yet I will. As we praise. We can find that God will lift us.

[11:43] And strengthen us. And take us. To new heights. I don't want this to seem like a pep talk. That. That I'm not living myself.

[11:56] It's real people. It's real. In the. In those rubber hits. The road times. Of our lives. That we can. Claim. And. Confess.

[12:07] These biblical truths. It's a biblical truth. That you can say these words. Let's say it together. I will joy. In the God. Of my salvation. And the concepts.

[12:18] We see. It was a bleak time. I will rejoice. I will. I will. I'll determine that. Let's be a people. Who praise God. Not just when times are good. Not just when we feel like it.

[12:29] Not like when we feel like. We don't have to wait. Till we feel like. We feel like praising him. To praise him. We're going to praise him. When the things are hard. That. That's when our faith. Will shine the brightest. As we worship.

[12:40] Brother. Sister. God will step in. As we worship. We can know. Divine intervention. Think of it. Praise. It transforms our circumstances. Because.

[12:50] It puts God in the picture. Doesn't it? Puts God in the center. It. Helps us. Also. Influence others too. They'll see your testimony. In the time of test. It'll be a testimony.

[13:02] Praise God. Despite your circumstances. Brother. Sister. Don't let life. Weighing down. Stop you from praising him. Paul's a prime example. Just of that.

[13:12] Of praising God. No matter what. As we saw. He wrote. To the Philippians. And. There's another situation. While he was actually. In Philippi. As Paul and Silas. Were there.

[13:22] They were imprisoned. For preaching the gospel. They saw a young woman. Delivered. And they disturbed. The locals. Who were profiting from her. And they had him. Thrown into jail.

[13:33] Paul and Silas. And here he was. He was beaten. His back was shredded. They whipped him. Flogged him. His back was bleeding. And Paul and Silas. Were here.

[13:43] In stocks. In chains. They were locked in. These. They call them stocks. Where you're. Confined. They were chained. Chained up. They were hurting.

[13:54] Bruised. Here they were. In this filthy. Cold. Prison cell. In pain. Discomfort. Paul decided. Let's whinge.

[14:06] No. That's the wrong. Bible version. He says. Let's pray. Let's praise. Amen. They sang praises to God. And the prisoners heard them. And the prisoners around them.

[14:18] Heard this singing. This. These praises to God. The jailer probably heard them. He had just ordered them. To be beaten. He heard the praises. And they were giving praise to God.

[14:28] Under these circumstances. In Acts 16. Here were Paul and Silas. They were beaten. In prison. Shackled. They chose. To sing praise. Unto their God.

[14:40] Acts 16. 25. And at midnight. Paul and Silas prayed. And sang praises. Unto God. And the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was. A great earthquake.

[14:51] And so that the foundations. Of the prison. Were shaken. And immediately. All the doors. Were opened. And everyone's bands. Were loosed. Paul and Silas. They were able to worship.

[15:03] Despite their chains. It reflects a deep. Inner transformation. And peace. I've heard. Tale of. Those. Imprisoned. For their faith.

[15:13] In communist prisons. Behind the iron curtain. And they had chains there. And they used the chains. As kind of percussion instruments. To accompany. Their praises. And they clinked.

[15:24] And clanked. Their chains. As they gave praises. Unto their God. It was their percussion instruments. Were their very chains. And Paul chose to pray. And to praise. He chose to sing hymns.

[15:35] While in chains. Even in the darkest. The very darkest of times. And at midnight. Paul might have humanly thought. Here I am. Broken.

[15:45] Bruised. Beaten. Chained. In this rotten prison. The last thing my flesh wants to do. At this point. Is to pray. Even so. I submit.

[15:56] To your lordship. And I will praise you anyway. I have the choice. To praise God. Or wallow. In my own self pity. I will choose praise. And they chose.

[16:08] Faith. And resilience. They chose praise. Even in their darkest hour. In chains. They praised God. What about you and me? In our circumstances. In those moments.

[16:19] Those circumstances. Can we trust. The unchanging nature. The faithfulness of our God. Brother. Sister. If it's some midnight hour. If you should find.

[16:29] You're in some prison. Of your mind. Reach out and praise. Reach out and praise. Praise anyway. Praise will break off the chains. That bind you. Make up your mind.

[16:41] To praise. When things are hard. And I know things are hard. For some of you. This is not just. Theoretical. I know situations. You're going through.

[16:52] When things are hard. Rather than having a pity party. Have a praise session. Amen. Have a praise session. Praise changes the atmosphere.

[17:02] When we choose to praise. It lifts us out. Of that. Darkness. It lifts our spirit. It. Invites God's presence. To come. And we can thank him.

[17:13] Even. Thank him for who he is. Thank him. Even when. It's hard to thank him. That God's presence. Is with you. Our worship. Can be a witness too.

[17:24] As we heard. It says there. That the prisoners. Heard them. Verse 25. The prisoners. The other prisoners. Were listening. Now. And imagine. In some of the other cells. Some of the other prisoners.

[17:35] Might have been. Griping. And groaning. And moaning. And whinging. And yelling. And screaming. And you know. They were hurting. These people were hurting. In this miserable prison.

[17:46] And at the darkest hour. They heard. What's that noise? Who are these wackos? Who are these people? That must be a bit strange.

[17:58] What are they on? And. They could hear the praises. Of the ones. Who wanted to praise God. The ones who said. I'm going to praise God.

[18:09] And. Our praise is a vital expression. Of our faith. Isn't it? It's our relationship with God. Our trust in him. It deepens our relationship. With our Lord. And we know that. Following on.

[18:20] There was the jailer's encounter. With Paul and Silas. And it led to that spiritual awakening. And the salvation of the jailer. And of his household. As he said. I believe.

[18:31] Jesus Christ. I believe in him. And it was the testimony. Of their praise. That brought that confession of faith. Hey. I want this saviour. That you've got. Their witness.

[18:43] Was. In their praise. Brother. Sister. Praise. Anyway. Praise. Anyway. Here's another example. Consider Job. Job worshipped.

[18:55] In Job chapter 1. We know the story. As Job was a man. Who endured such terrible. Incredible suffering. And Job 1 verse 20. It says. Then Job arose.

[19:06] And rent his mantle. He tore his clothes. In this expression. Of despair. Of repentance. Of being moved upon by God.

[19:20] And he shaved his head. It was a sign of his vow. And he fell down. It says. Upon the ground. And worshipped. Job here. What's the situation?

[19:30] The raiders had come. And they'd. Caused mayhem. Job had lost his livestock. His oxen. His donkeys. His camels. And many of his servants. Then fire came.

[19:42] And destroyed his sheep. More of his servants. Then what's more. A great wind came. And collapsed the house. Where all of his children were. Feasting. Killing all of them. Right here.

[19:54] Job suffers this. Great loss. This unimaginable. Heartache. What is his response? His response was not.

[20:04] To curse God. But to worship. Then Job arose. And rent his mantle. And shaved his head. And fell down upon the ground. And Job.

[20:16] Worshipped. Job lost everything. He still had his wife. And she wasn't. Much of a comfort. You know. Wives. Don't be like Job's wife here.

[20:30] Job's wife. She says. Why don't you just. Go ahead. And curse God. And die. Thanks. Mrs. Job. After losing everything. Job still praised the Lord.

[20:42] And he says. The Lord gave. And the Lord had taken away. Blessed. Be the name. Of the Lord. What was Job's response? I'm going to praise him anyway.

[20:53] Everything's gone. I've lost it all. Just got a moaning wife. And. God gave. God took away. Blessed be the name. Of the Lord.

[21:04] Later on. Job sat here. On this ash heap. Covered in oozing. Painful boils. Even when we feel. Down and out. When we feel miserable. Covered with boils.

[21:14] Imagine that. Sitting on an ash heap. Like the garbage dump. Of the place. Sitting on this smelly ash heap. And Job shows us what to do.

[21:26] He teaches us that praise. As an act of faith. Of trust. Isn't it? He says. I'm going to bless the name of the Lord. Anyway. I will praise him anyway. Anyhow.

[21:38] I'm going to praise him. No matter what. I'm going to praise you. My redeemer liveth. My redeemer liveth. He says. He's alive. And he saved me.

[21:49] And he's my saviour. My redeemer. He's alive. And he's going to stand at the latter day upon the earth. I'm going to see his face. In spite of everything I've gone through. Everything I've lost. I know this.

[22:00] I know this for sure. My redeemer liveth. I don't know why this or that. But I do know. He lives. Even when we don't understand. Even when life doesn't make sense.

[22:10] We can trust that God is good. Still good. Even though life is not so good. We can praise God. Even in those moments of tears.

[22:21] It's an expression of our faith. That we'll trust him still. That all things will ultimately work for good. Romans 8.28 Always praise. Here's the message.

[22:34] This morning. Always praise. We see that in these three truths here. As Paul tells the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 5.

[22:45] Verses 16 through 18. It says three things to do all the time. Alright. Now tonight I'm talking about the will of God. How to find the will of God. What is the will of God.

[22:56] And I'll tell you. These three things are the will of God for you. Alright. Get a foretaste of tonight. It says rejoice evermore. Always rejoice.

[23:07] It says pray. Pray without ceasing. Always pray. And it says thirdly. In everything. Give thanks. Always give thanks. For this is the will of God.

[23:17] In Christ Jesus. Concerning you. So if you've been struggling to find the will of God. Here it is. This is it. These three statements. Always praise.

[23:28] Always pray. Always give thanks. As we praise God in all circumstances. It's a powerful expression of our faith. Isn't it? He wants us to praise.

[23:40] He wants us to pray. He wants us to thank him. Even when life is difficult. Even when circumstances are against it. Let's pray. Let's believe. Let's have that faith.

[23:50] That trust. That powerful expression. To praise God. To believe in God's sovereignty. His goodness. His grace. His love. And the early church had just that. Kind of spiritual life.

[24:02] It tells of them. Acts 2. And they continuing daily. With one accord in the temple. Breaking bread from house to house. Did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

[24:15] Praising God. And having favour. With all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily. Such as should be saved. Wow. Look at that. Praising God. That was one of the marks of the church.

[24:27] And it's important that we get the worship right. Isn't it? It's good to ask ourselves. Is our worship right? We don't need a worship band. Or a worship leader. To manufacture our worship.

[24:41] The worship is from the inside out. Isn't it? Yeah. It's not about the atmosphere. It's not about the technology. Or the. You know. Some put all of the. All of that.

[24:53] Into it. To kind of manufacture. Some kind of praise. The praise can happen. When you're on the ash heap. The praise can happen. When you're in the prison cell. The praise can happen.

[25:05] When you're in the time of drought. And you don't know where your next meal is going to come from. There's times when our worship can be faulty. God flat out rejected Cain's worship. The Malachi 1 worship was polluted worship.

[25:19] God was grieved with that. God forbade the Isaiah 1 worship. Israel's insincere worship. God condemned the Matthew 23 worship of the Pharisees.

[25:30] And our Lord dismissed the ignorant and wrong worship of the Samaritan woman in John 4. But then on the other side we see the worship that he commands.

[25:42] As in Luke 7. Behold a woman in the city which was a sinner. We don't know her name but we know she was a sinner. She was a lousy, rotten, dirty, stinking sinner.

[25:56] That's what she was known as. And when she knew that Jesus sat at me in the Pharisees house. This dirty, rotten sinner brought an alabaster box of ointment.

[26:08] And Jesus commended her. He commended her. She generously praised. Unfit, unworthy, rejected.

[26:22] A no-hoper, a sinner. But she came and worshipped. Jesus blessed her for that. He praised her for that. And it's in three of the Gospels.

[26:34] The same picture of this woman giving. So pouring out this precious, expensive expression of her worship.

[26:47] It was worshipped from her heart unto the Saviour. What about us? Will we learn to praise? Will we be like this woman? We'll praise him anyway. It would have been embarrassing for her.

[26:59] Coming into the Pharisees house. This woman who had a reputation. An unworthy woman. She came and she worshipped. She said, I'm not going to care about the finger pointing, the furtive glances, the stares and the criticism.

[27:17] I'm going to come and pour it out. Pour myself out at the feet of the Saviour. What about you? Are you going to worship? Are you going to worship and praise him? Are you going to praise him in the storm?

[27:28] That's where we should worship. When it's worship, it's hard to worship. Life with all its ups and downs. Sometimes we find ourselves walking through valleys and there's trials. And the worship is the last thing that we want to do humanly.

[27:43] But we should praise God in all circumstances. And this kind of worship, it doesn't ignore our pain, but it lifts our hearts above the pain. And we acknowledge that God is greater than all the circumstances, all the storms that we face.

[27:57] And it could be for your very faith. As in the workplace or your life, your family space, people might be acting like these did.

[28:08] In Matthew 5, 11. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad.

[28:19] For great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. It's got the sense of jump for joy. Rejoice and be exceeding glad. It's got this jubilant rejoicing, jumping for joy kind of joy.

[28:34] This kind of rejoicing. Even when you're getting reviled, when you're hated, when you're persecuted, be exceeding glad. Even when you're under attack, that can happen for you.

[28:46] Some of you, you're in situations where maybe there's not always the others around you who know the saviour. Maybe even your spouse or some of your family, they don't know the saviour.

[28:57] And they might pick on you for your faith. Even when you're under attack, praise anyway. Amen. Even praising when it's hard. Praising when it's powerful. It's painful. Hebrews says the sacrifice of praise like we touched on before.

[29:13] When we praise God despite our struggles, it's a sacrifice and he's pleased with that. It's a sacrifice that he's pleased with. It's easy to praise God when life's going well, isn't it?

[29:25] But when we praise God in the midst of difficulty, when we declare he's worthy, when we make that sacrifice of praise, it's all the more precious. And think of it, praise brings deliverance as well.

[29:38] Another thought about praise. It's an act of faith. It's also a weapon of spiritual warfare. God worked when Paul and Silas praised. And we look back in the Old Covenant to 2 Chronicles 20 and there's the story of King Jehoshaphat.

[29:54] And King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, he was faced with this vast army, three nations, these multiplied nations, this superpower was gathered against the people of God.

[30:06] And it shows us the story tells how praise isn't just for the good times, it's a weapon of faith. Before the battle, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were afraid.

[30:18] But God told them this. Thus saith the Lord unto you, be not afraid, nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.

[30:30] Instead of focusing on the fear, on his fear, King Jehoshaphat, he sends out singers to praise God ahead of the battle. So, you know, the choir, the musicians here, you're on the front line into this battle.

[30:47] Imagine that. We get Brother Joel and Brother Jesse and the multiplied musicians and orchestra and the singers and the whole lot of you, actually, to go out into the battle, to go out into the battle, to be on the front of this battle front, to go and sing and praise God ahead of the battle.

[31:07] Think of that. Jehoshaphat, he didn't send soldiers to battle first, he sent the worshippers first. Think of that. And their trust was in the Lord, their weapon was worship, and the phrase they used was, His mercy endureth forever.

[31:25] That was their battle cry. And as we think about God's mercy, we can have courage, can't we? Think of his mercy that he's shown us at the cross. We see 2 Chronicles 20 through 21, 22.

[31:39] King Jehoshaphat appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever.

[31:57] And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which would come against Judah, and they were smitten.

[32:07] So the Lord set up this victory, was accomplished over the enemies of God's people, and it says that they were destroyed. How so?

[32:20] The victory was the praise. Jehoshaphat's victory came through praise. As the vast army began to march, Jehoshaphat gave the signal. It wasn't to fire the weapons, it was to praise.

[32:34] It was to praise. It was to sing. It was to play the instruments of worship. And they began to sing, as in Psalm 136, Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever.

[32:49] Jehoshaphat's army didn't have to lift a sword. God set ambushes against their enemies as they praised. God's mercy brought them not just deliverance, but overwhelming victory.

[33:01] The enemy got so scared that they turned on each other. Friends, when we praise God, when we praise God in the face of adversity, even on the battlefront, as it were, we invite his mercy to come and move mightily on our behalf.

[33:16] And when we praise, we're inviting God to fight our battles. Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever. Praise brings victory. Think of it, brother, sister, when we're so inclined to feel defeated, when there's an obstacle, a challenge, we see an enemy that seems we can't win.

[33:40] That praise is your weapon. Praise itself, the power of praise, because it brings God's power into our situation.

[33:50] And there's many verses that have this theme of God's enabling. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. If you're in trouble, praise God, God's there.

[34:02] Amen. If you're in trouble, wow, thank you, Lord. You're very present right now when I need you. And Psalm 136, 24, He's redeemed us from our enemies for his mercy endureth forever.

[34:16] Brother, sister, praise is your victory. Know that God's mercy is your anthem of praise. God's mercy, it's not conditional or temporary. It's eternal.

[34:27] It's forever. It's steadfast. It's never-ending. God's mercy is going to be there for you tomorrow and the one after that and forever. Faithfulness, God's faithfulness is forever.

[34:39] Brother, sister, no matter how bad things look, don't ever lose your soul. Think of these truths when your next battle comes. His mercy is still forever, isn't it?

[34:52] His mercy is still forever. And no matter how desperate, His mercy is going to outlast every challenge. His mercy is going to outlast every failure, every fear, every enemy.

[35:05] But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him. His mercy is everlasting. You know, you get these ever-ready batteries, they're going to die.

[35:18] But His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. He's ever-ready, never failing. No battery can outlast Him. Honestly, He is forever.

[35:31] And His mercy extends, doesn't it? Know God's unwavering faithfulness to you. No matter what has happened, no matter what you're in right now, don't hold back your praise.

[35:42] Learn to praise. You know, drive your car and praise. Shout it out wherever you are. Wherever you are. It doesn't matter what the neighbours think.

[35:53] Praise your way to victory. Amen. Learn to praise God in the midst of the storm. God's made us to worship and to praise Him. It's what we're designed for. So learn to become a praiser.

[36:07] Think of it. How can I praise God more? How can I learn to praise Him? You know, to be the greatest singer, it's not about your musical talent. It's about your heart.

[36:19] That's what matters, isn't it? Praise Him no matter what. It's a breakthrough, isn't it? When we praise Him. Friends, be encouraged this way. Think about God's goodness.

[36:30] His mercy. It's never going to stop for you. His mercy. Think about who He is. And take your mind off the earthly and think about the heavenly.

[36:41] Think about His mercy. Think about Him. Give Him some praise. Amen. Praise Him for His providence. Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him for the power of His grace. Praise Him for the blood of Jesus.

[36:54] Praise Him for your salvation. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. It makes you wonder that statement, doesn't it?

[37:05] Well, does my dog and cat praise Him? Do the chickens down the backyard praise Him? Let everything. Let everything. If the animals can praise Him, surely we can.

[37:18] Who know Him. Can't we? If the Lord woke you up this morning, you ought to give Him some praise for that. You've got another day to live. You've got a whole song book in your Bible.

[37:29] 150 songs. Psalm 1 says, bless. It starts with bless. Blessed is the man. Psalm 150 ends with praise. You've got 150 songs in your book.

[37:40] The Bible. Have a look at it. When the praises go up, the blessings come down. Who's got something to praise God for today? We all have, don't we? Count your blessings. We can't.

[37:51] If He's put food on your table, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, you ought to give Him some praise for that. If He's been your burden bearer, if He's carried your load, you ought to give Him praise.

[38:03] Amen. Don't you want to praise Him? Don't you? We should sing of the Lord and to Him. Even when we have reason to complain, we should give praise instead.

[38:15] Don't let moaning be your default. Let praise be your default. All right? From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

[38:26] That doesn't really give you much wriggle room, does it? Praise anyway. When my heart is overwhelmed, I can still praise. Keep praise on your lips.

[38:36] Brother, sister, in every situation. Honestly, I'm not meaning to be flippant here because someone would say, Preacher, you don't know what's going on for me. God is very present for you.

[38:49] God is very present for you. As you praise, you're reminding yourself of His limitless power. God is in you, with you, for you. Nothing can stop your praise other than your mind.

[39:03] Choose to praise the Lord, no matter the circumstance, because God is faithful. His mercy endures. And God can turn your mourning into dancing, your weeping into joy.

[39:14] In the midst of your challenge, get your praise back and begin to give God back the praise. No matter what you're facing today, choose to lift up your voice in worship.

[39:26] Like Paul and Silas, let your praise rise from the darkest of places at midnight. Like Job, declare God's goodness even when it's hard to see.

[39:37] Even if you're on the ash heap, pussy, gooey, sores all over your body, you've lost everything. I know that my Redeemer liveth.

[39:49] Like Jehoshaphat, send out your praise before the battle. Trust in God will deliver you. It's not in the strength of the soldiers. It's not the strength of the army. The battle is the Lord's. I'm going to praise him.

[40:00] I'm going to send out the praise before the battle. Trust in God's deliverance. In every season, in every trial, in every storm, praise him. Brother, sister, when the storm hits you next week, God forbid, but when it hits, God's in it.

[40:16] God's for you. He is faithful. His mercy is everlasting. That storm's going to run out of steam. But his mercy's going to be continuing on.

[40:28] He is good because he's always worthy. And the psalmist says, I will bless the Lord. I will give thanks unto the Lord of lords for his mercy endureth forever.

[40:41] To him who alone doeth great wonders for his mercy endureth forever. And he says this, I will bless the Lord at all times. So, look at your timepiece.

[40:54] It's praise o'clock. It's praise o'clock right now. Amen. Isn't it? Isn't it? And it's praise o'clock all the time. Isn't it? All the time. At all times.

[41:05] It's praise o'clock. I just invented that one. So, I'll just copyright that. Oh, praise the Lord at all times. Brother, sister, his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[41:17] No matter what comes our way, commit to blessing the Lord at all times. His praise should be on our lips always. May God help us to praise him. Even when we don't want to.

[41:29] Even when we want to moan. Praise instead. Call on God. Even in the times of trouble. Whether it be in the time of drought like Habakkuk. In the time of prison and pain like Paul and Silas.

[41:42] Whether you're on the ash heap like Job. Or whether you're entering the battlefield. Praise anyway. And know this, that weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

[41:55] His mercy is everlasting. This earthly span is just an eye blink. It's just a moment. It's like affliction. It's just a moment. There's an eternal way.

[42:05] An eternal dimension of glory that's just ahead of us. Let us pray. Our Lord God, we thank you that we can praise. Help us to be more praising.

[42:17] Help us, Lord, to rejoice evermore. to pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. Help us, Lord, to have a heart that praises you no matter what. Lord, give us the strength to see that your mercy endureth forever.

[42:33] And Lord, help us to know that. We pray each one here might know that saving, that mercy, that grace extended at the cross that we can know new life and everlasting life, eternal life and know that mercy that endures forever that is extended because of your great love, of your bloodshed for our part, our sin.

[42:56] Lord, help us to treasure that, to appreciate that, to count our blessings and even when the blessings, we can't always see blessings that no matter what, we know that you are with us and your mercy endureth forever.

[43:11] Amen.