Genuine, heartfelt, confident, God-centered praise is like alchemy for your soul.

Your soul will actually experience a magical transformation through focusing on praise of your Creator and Maker. You were created to praise Him. Isaiah 43:21 says, “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise”. You were formed for praise.

Praise will strengthen your soul. When you feel weary, depleted, hopeless and worn out, it is the perfect time to praise God. You can’t genuinely praise God without taking the focus off yourself. This in itself will change you. You stop looking at your many failures or the many ways others have failed to come through for you. Rather, you focus on the only One who has truly been there and the only One who has the power to make a change in your situation. Your shortcomings are suddenly out of the picture, and you are now opening your heart, mind and spirit to the reality of God’s mercy, power, and the truth that He is greater than all of your failures. Praise transforms you from unbelief to total confidence in God.

Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits our praise. This is another reason for the transformation that takes place in your soul. You feel the presence of God when you praise Him. The nearness of God Himself lifts your soul out of the well of despair.

Psalm 50:23 explains how praise brings deliverance from our enemies. The most harmful enemies of our souls are spiritual enemies that we cannot see—the evil forces working behind the people who are making your life miserable. These same people who are wreaking havoc in your life are deeply loved by God. We get so distracted by their negative impact on us that we forget the hidden evil forces and think the flesh-and-blood people are the only enemies we face. Praise helps us get our enemies in perspective and gives us confidence that only God can handle these true enemies. When we focus on praise and leave the work of our salvation from our enemies to God, we are set free from our prison of bitterness and judgment.Psalm 149:6 describes our weapon of praise; “May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands.”

As you lift up your soul to praise God for all His goodness, mercy, love, comfort, joy etc., imagine the God you praise as having a great big smile beaming across His face. He is simply delighted by our praise. Don’t you want to bring joy to God? Praise Him and you will.

Make this a week of praise and see how it transforms your soul. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Make this verse be the focus of your week.