God desires and deserves our praise… even in the midst of an unexpected diagnosis.  Praise opens the door for miracles.  Just read Paul and Silas’s story in the Bible!  The two men were imprisoned after being severely beaten with rods.  They hung bruised and bloodied from chains, their feet in stocks.  Amazingly, the two men began to sing hymns of praise to God.  God heard their praise.  Suddenly, a great earthquake shook the prison until the chains fell off all the prisoners.  Within moments the jailer received Jesus as his Lord and Savior and Paul and Silas were set free (see Acts 16:16-40).

We, too, can be freed from our enslavement to sickness through praise.  I have a small book titled The Bible on Praise by Merlin Carothers that I read.  It contains page after page of Bible verses praising God.  Another great resource is The Prayer that Changes Everything:  The Hidden Power of Praising God by Stormie Omartian.

Why is it important to praise God? Praise invites God’s presence.  “He inhabits the praises of His people.”  Psalm 22:3

Praise also reminds us how big God is in comparison to our problems.  A friend of mine recently reminded me that the God who made heaven and earth, who parted the sea, who raised Lazurus from the dead, the Great I AM… can do anything!

Praise is a blessing that we can bestow upon ourselves in our need.  Since my diagnosis, I read and say praise verses aloud daily.  I also sing and listen to praise music.  It’s amazing how uplifted I feel after spending time praising My Creator!  

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6