The Garment of Praise
To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:3
Once we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, we are given a rich inheritance. I’m so thankful that God does not leave us empty handed, but rather overflows us with His goodness distributing gifts to His people. Our salvation is just the beginning of our adventure in God. Once He is in our lives it then time to learn to discover His life daily within us.
One of the great promises that God has given us is “everlasting joy will be upon their heads.” It is prophesied about us that we will also, “with joy drink from the wells of salvation.” Joy is obviously very important to God concerning our lives. Without it we will be left lacking. God provides for us “the oil of joy” in place of mourning, a “garment of praise” to replace a spirit of heaviness. David understood the need to praise God continually.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
Psalm 34:1
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
A Radical Combination
David had a life of victory. He was a man of faith and worship. When we combine faith with our praise to God the result is victory. Saul slew his thousands, but David slew tens of thousands. There is an exponential increase in victory with the corresponding increase of praise in our lives. When we praise He in turn inhabits us. Heaven on earth occurs and His Presence is what gives us favor, blessing, increase, multiplication and victory at every turn. In reality, we need to praise God more than God needs to hear it. It is more for our benefit than for His. He will be praised even if He has to make the rocks cry out. Those who “will” to praise are the ones who will experience His glory, presence, intervention and favor. Don’t praise God just because you feel like. Learn to praise God to shift your emotions, to experience His Presence. Praise God until you experience breakthrough in your heart. He wants you to experience His Presence and breakthroughs daily.
Recognize His Goodness
There are many reasons to praise God. We praise Him because He is worthy of it. He is worthy of our praise if only for who He is. If we take time to recognize what He has done for us then we will find much more reason to praise Him. Put on the garment of praise. Remember the testimonies of His grace and goodness. Praise the Lord for what He has done, what He is doing, for what He will do and most importantly for who He is. Your benefit will be His presence in your life, the revelation of the closeness of His Spirit with the overflow of His favor and victory.
While I live I will praise the Lord;
Psalm 146:2
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.