Psalm 34:1-2 (NIV) I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

It is so good to praise the Lord and it is good for a host of reasons. The first reason is that the Lord is worthy of all our praise and in praising Him, you are joining in with the rest of creation in the divine order of acknowledging the greatness and the goodness of God. In addition to that, praising Him draws you near to Him and draws Him near to you (James 4:8). If you study the scriptures, you will find that all the successful people that you read about in the Word of God had one thing in common: they were successful because the Lord was with them. I want the Lord with me at all times, and that keeps me praising Him like David did in the verses above. Another great reason for praising our Lord Jesus is that it keeps your heart from wandering and from turning away from Him. A heart that praises the Lord Jesus is a heart that is firmly planted in the love and knowledge of God.

There is another great reason for praising God at all times and verse 2 above speaks about it. Praising the Lord battles affliction and at the same time drives Satan and his demons away. The enemy cannot remain in the atmosphere where a child of God is praising God continually not only with his mouth, but with his life as well. Praise drives away the enemy of your soul. That's why David said that those that are afflicted should rejoice and continue to praise the Lord Jesus. Not only will it keep the enemy at bay, but it will calm your fears and the anxiety of your heart and will enable you to focus not on the thing that's bringing the affliction, but instead on the God that will deliver you from it.

The Word of God tells us that David had success in whatever he did because the Lord was with him (1 Samuel 18:14). The Lord was with him because he was intent on praising Him at all times, and especially when he was going through his trials and tribulations. Let's learn this valuable lesson from David and extol the Lord at all times. Let's glory in our God and be glad that even when things get dark and ominous, we can rejoice because we know that He is ever with us and will bring us through to victory every time. Jesus is certainly worthy of all our praise at all times and forevermore!

Pastor Joey Vazquez