The Power of Praise

"Praise the LORD.
   Praise God in his sanctuary;
   praise him in his mighty heavens.
 Praise him for his acts of power;
   praise him for his surpassing greatness.
 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
   praise him with the harp and lyre,
 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
   praise him with the strings and flute,
 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
   praise him with resounding cymbals.
  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
   Praise the LORD."
Psalm 150

The last key of the kingdom I will share is the key of praise. We often talk about worshiping God and the importance of doing so. Worship and praise are vital to opening up the kingdom because this is the single thing that God requires of us. He is a jealous God, meaning that he will not share his glory or his praise with any other. Since there is no other true God, we are mandated to praise him. In fact, Jesus said that if we do not praise him, the rocks will cry out to him. God is deserving of our praise and he desires it above anything else.
    I remember the day this key came to me. The Lord showed me a picture in my mind's eye. The picture was of a young woman, dressed in white, twirling with her arms raised heavenward in praise. Her head was uplifted with a big smile on her face. The picture was so clear and stark that I pondered the importance of it. Soon, I realized that there was a very important element to the picture that I had not considered before. It was a picture of one who was praising God with all she had. From God's point of view, she was pure as snow and I can almost see him smile and laugh as he watches her adore her God.
    When the Christ child was born in Bethlehem, Magi from the far east came to visit him. As the story goes, they followed a star which led them to the very stable where he was. Of course, Jesus was about two years old when they arrived. But what is important about this event is this: The Magi came to worship (praise) Jesus. Keep in mind that Jesus had not done one miracle. He had not healed anyone, and he had never taught a thing. Yet these kings came to praise him. This must be our attitude of praise as we come before God. We do not praise him for what he has done for us, we praise him simply because he is God and he deserves our praise.
    Take this key and use it. Praise not only blesses God, it blesses us. It may be beyond our understanding but the spiritual atmosphere created through praise unlocks the windows of heaven. People are healed and delivered, miracles happen, and heavens open as people gather to simply praise God. But you don't have to be in a meeting to receive these things, God will meet his people wherever praise is happening. Learn to praise our God and watch the kingdom open to you.