Praise and Faith

Written by Stephen Buckley

In Genesis 12, God first tells Abram—he’s not yet Abraham—that he’ll be the father of many nations. Through his offspring, God promises, all nations will be blessed. The only problem: he is already 75. And he and his wife have no children.

No doubt overwhelmed and confused, Abraham still believed God, “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” (Romans 4:17b) “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God,” Romans 4:20 says, “but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.”

He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.

In faith, he worshipped God. And as he glorified God, his faith grew. A virtuous cycle of faith and praise, praise and faith.

The Bible teems with such examples—people who found themselves in seemingly impossible situations, who, without options, simply worshipped.  

There was King Jehoshaphat, when the Moabites and Ammonites threatened war against Judah. [W]e are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us,” he prayed. “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Then the king “ bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 20:18)

In Psalm 57, David finds himself in the cave of Adullam, fleeing from King Saul. David is literally running for his life, but that short psalm brims with praise to God, “who will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” (Psalm 57:3b) 

Verse 5 proclaims, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” And verses 9 and 10: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, our faithfulness to the clouds.”

In Luke’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel tells Mary she’s going to give birth to the Christ, and she responds: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Imagine her puzzlement. Imagine her fear and wonder.  But after a visit with her relative Elizabeth, she erupts in song: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” We know that song as the Magnificat.

And there were others—King Hezekiah, when Assyria threatened to destroy Judah: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth….” In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are stripped, beaten, and jailed. Their response: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God….”

Worship moves God’s heart: He saves Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah. He rescues David. Using an earthquake, he frees Paul and Silas. And Mary, of course, becomes the mother of our Messiah.

You may be a confronting a potentially crushing trial right now—a chronic illness, a rebellious child, a wayward spouse, a financial crisis. Or, like Abraham and Mary, you may face a positive life-change, but one that seems beyond belief. Whatever our situation, we should remember that worship builds our faith. And faith propels us to worship. In other words: When in doubt, praise the Lord.