Habakkuk 3:17-19

 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

 DAILY READING          Acts 6; Deuteronomy 28; Job 17

When he was the American President, Abraham Lincoln had to keep a heavy schedule of appointments day after day. However one day, in the midst of his very busy schedule, he was told an elderly Lady wanted to see him. Graciously he asked his aides to allow her in. He thought perhaps she required his help and assistance in one way or the other.  As the elderly lady entered Lincoln’s office, he rose to greet her and asked how he might be of service. She replied that she had not come to ask a favor. She rather said she had heard that the President liked a certain kind of cookie, so she had baked some for him and brought them to his office.

With tears in his eyes, Lincoln responded, “You are the very first person who has ever come into my office asking not, expecting not, but rather bringing me a gift. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

In the same way, many times we are more interested in what we can get from God in prayer, rather, that what we can give to Him. We know that God delights in praise.

Psalm 69:30-31 says 30  ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.  This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.’

Sometimes we need to sit down and deliberately offer God praise for all His goodness in our lives. To take God for granted is to be grounded. As the year rolls to an end we need to take time to count our blessings and specifically thank Him for each and every blessing we can recall; the many deaths we could have died but God’s mercy intervened, the many times the enemy organized shame for us, but God’s mercy prevailed and His glory covered us from seeing shame. . Do you know how many times death came for you, but God said ‘No’. The same road you passed through without harm, some people passed through it and their blood got shed. The sickness you passed through and recovered, some people suffered it and died from it.

The reason why you are still alive today is because of God’s faithfulness. Left to your enemies you would have been dead  and buried long ago. Indeed it is because of His mercies that we are not consumed. So before you think of  your unreached goals this year, or worry about the size of your bank account;  thank God first for the very breath in your nostrils. The psalmist said let everything that has breath praise the Lord. As long as we have breath, we owe God praise.

Don’t let the enemy deceive you from praising God, by showing you the things that are not working in your life. Though things may not be perfect yet, you are still alive. And to him that is joined to the living there is hope. So there is hope for you. Truly a living dog is better than a dead lion.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 says  ‘ Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.’

No matter what it may look like around you, be thankful. The wonderful thing is that when you praise God, deliverance comes to bring you out of every tight corner. Paul and Silas were shut up in prison, but when they praised God at midnight there was an earthquake and their bonds were broken. There is a mystery about  praise that breaks every prison and bondage around you.

Let the thing the enemy thought would hinder you from praising God, be the very reason why you praise Him. When you praise God He raises you and causes you to walk upon your high places.

PRAYER:  Father, I truly bless You today because indeed You have been so good to me. If it had not been for Your grace and mercy all through this year, where would I be? Father, I am truly grateful. Be Thou glorified in my life now and forever in Jesus Name. .

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Praise is proof that you believe God to do what He said, He would do in your life, – WORDBITE 201.