Prayer

A Life Changing Experience

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and worship. And I know, particularly, when my kids come to me, and say, "Daddy, I want this, and Daddy, I want that," I get a bit upset. And so it is with God when we don't say "thank you, Lord," for what He has given to us. And so, in this third lesson on the practice of prayer, I want to deal with praise and worship, saying "thanks" to God.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and We prayed for a little girl and a whole line of people, and it seemed God healed them. Next day, there she was in the healing line! And she said, "Hello, Pastor Keith, here I am again!" I said, "I see that dear, well, didn't you get healed yesterday?" "Oh yes," she said, "but I came back to say thanks!" So very few people say this. Jesus had ten that He healed, and only one came back to give thanks, and he was a Samaritan.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and In Londonderry, we went there and I prayed. And I said, "Lord, please help me, I am very scared in this troublesome city." And the Lord said, "I have much people here." And the first night a lady walked out of her wheelchair. And two nights later, I saw her back again at the meeting. And I said, "why have you come? You have a stick in your hand! Have you gone back to the wheelchair?" "Oh no," she says, "God has healed me, but I came back to say thanks. And to bring back another sick friend who has a stick. God is going to heal her tonight!" That's the kind of attitude which I believe brings blessing. And so, the secret of entering the presence of God is praise and worship.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and I'd like to share with you first of all the place of praise, secondly, the singing of praise, and thirdly the popular moving in praise. In Psalm 9:11, we read "Sing praises to the Lord, He is enthroned in Zion, proclaim to the nations what God has done". I think we should praise God publicly. As I go around to the nations I've been every year for the last ten years to America, to Australia and Malaysia, and I'm amazed at the amount of praise and worship that's going up. In my email every day I get 40 or 50 letters every day, praising God, sharing that God is moving right now, all around the world. And I'm excited that we're living in the last days, when God is pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh. So, in church, or outside of church, you can still praise God.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and Billy Bray, who was an old methodist, used to praise God and worship the Lord even as he went around the streets. And one person knew he had a need and gave him some money: two pounds sixpence in the old money. So, he went to an auction. He wanted this particular cupboard, and he shouted out "Two and six." And somebody else said "Two and seven" and got the cupboard. But he still praised the Lord in the auction, saying "Thank you, Lord"! The guy came for the purchase, and took it away in his horse cart. Billy still went after him, saying "I praise You, Lord. I worship You, amen!" When the man came to his home, he found that the cupboard was too big to get it into his door. He began to curse and swear. And Billy stepped up and said, "I tell you what, I'll give you two and six if you'll take it down to my chapel." And the man was so fed up, he took the cupboard down to the chapel. And right there, at the chapel, as he took that particular cupboard, Billy said, "I not only got that cupboard for the chapel, but I also got it delivered for two and six!" So he kept praising. He kept worshipping and he found that every time he worshipped, God gave him victory.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and And that brings me to Psalm 33: 2, "Praise the Lord with the harp, make music on the ten-stringed lyre". I find that good music may inspire you to praise and worship God. In one particular meeting in England, as we began to worship, somebody found all their diseases had gone. I have a friend here in Leek, facing a nervous breakdown. And he played Handel's Messiah, he played those worship tunes. And within two years, he came out of a mental breakdown.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and I believe too, in Psalms 67:3 "May the people praise you, O Lord, let all the people praise you". There's a popular getting together. So praise isn't just for a paid choir, it's for all the congregation, even if it's not in tune, it must come from the heart. And in Isaiah 42:12, it says "Let's give glory to the Lord, proclaim His praise in the island". You may not be trained, you may not be a great singer, but look to God, and give Him praise.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and One snowy winter here, the snow was so bad, that the preacher couldn't come. And so this young man in desperate depression went to the Methodist chapel. And the clergyman hadn't come, but they sang praise. The people joined in, everybody worshipped. Then the preacher got up and looked at his text, "look unto me, and be ye saved". He obviously wasn't very well trained, and he went into the text again. And he looked up at the gallery and said "young fellow, with the face like a donkey, look to Jesus!" And Charles Spurgeon got gloriously saved. Not because this man was a professional, but he was full of looking to Christ, full of praise. And one of the greatest preachers of the last century got saved through that situation.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and When it seems hard in every situation, in Hebrews 13:15, "let's continually offer God the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name." It is a sacrifice sometimes to praise. Like Paul and Silas, do you remember? In Acts 16, they were in prison? They had been severely flogged, and the jailer was commanded to keep them. But about midnight, Acts 16:25, they were praying, they were singing, and the other prisoners were listening! Suddenly in verse 26, there was an earthquake. The prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains were loosed. Right in a prison situation, God brought them into praise and worship.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and A young man took a tent in America, and he was having a very difficult time, attendance was bad. But he had five old ladies, and they said, "Lord, we praise you, we worship you, we believe in this young man". And one of them said, "Oh, I believe God wants me to call William Randolph Hearst. He's head of all the newspapers and TV. let's get through!" She didn't know he was surrounded by a army of secretaries, she just lifted the phone, praised the Lord. And Hearst lifted the phone. "What do you want?" he said. "We have a young man here," she replied, "and we believe you need to draw attention to him, he has the word of God". "All right", said Randolph Hearst. and he went right down to all his syndicate, and said "cover this young man". In other words, when the tent came, it was filled with reporters. And that's how Billy Graham started his tremendous move of God which has never looked back... because he had praying ladies, who knew how to praise the Lord.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and In fact, here, those who know they are saved, know that they are redeemed by the blood of the Lord, should especially praise him. In 1Peter 2:9, it says, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. Declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light".

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and Billy last year had to go to prison to visit a man who is a Christian. And this man had been accused, his wife had left him, he was in desperate distress. He was actually cleaning out the toilets when Billy came to see him. And he said to him, "I know that you've done wrong, but this is the army that doesn't shoot it's wounded, you've been redeemed by the blood of Jesus." And when that man came out of prison, Billy took him and gave him his suit. He took him to his own church, and he praised God with this man, a prominent TV evangelist who's come back. And he's written a book, a wonderful book, "I was wrong". God showed him we don't just praise God when things go right, or that we come to God just for prosperity; we come to the Lord to worship Him!

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and In fact, Job says, "though He slay me, yet will I trust Him". So praise has power. It has power to bring an awareness first of the presence of God. Psalm 22:3 says "You are the praise of Israel, enthroned as the Holy One". Solomon's temple was filled with the glory physically of God in 2 Chronicles 5:13 and 14, when they praised the Lord.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and Secondly, it brings victory. A shout of praise can bring victory against overwhelming odds. In 2 Chronicles 20:22, as they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon who were invading Judah, they were defeated.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and And I believe it's still true today, in fact, praise brings fear to the enemies of God. In Psalm 40:3, it says "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God, many will see it and fear, and put their trust in God". As we shout the victory, the devil gets shifted.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and I prayed for a man twice, and he didn't get healed. My old farmer friend came along, and said "my cows have missed milking for two days. Praise God, He's healed you! Get out of bed!" And the fellow shot out of bed and got permanently healed.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and I believe this is an instruction to a new generation. In Psalm 78:4, it says, "We will not hide your praises from our children, and they will tell the new generation the praiseworthy deeds of God".

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and I'm 65 this year, and I've just retired, I put three new tires on my car, amen. And I am still praising the Lord, with all our grand children and all our family. And if you're in a family where there isn't much praise, there's grumbling all the time, there's going to be problems. But all our kids have learned to praise God and to worship God. I believe that even if you sin, God doesn't cut you off. you may deserve it, but if you keep praising and looking to God for forgiveness, there can be a renewal. In Isaiah 48:1, "Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by My name of Israel, and from the line of Judah. I know how stubborn you are," verse 4. "And oh, you have been a rebel," verse 8. "But, verse 9, "but for My name's sake, I will delay your wrath, for the sake of My praise, I will hold it back, I have refined you as in a furnace."

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and And I have pleaded, I said, "God, Ireland is the name known by Your name, a land of saints and scholars, please give us revival. Please come down in power. And in Newcastle, where I prayed this prayer, four thousand were saved in the following three years. And we have seen many, many wonderful miracles as God swept through Ireland in the charismatic outpouring. And here, may I say, it brings glory to God when you praise him among the heathen. In Isaiah 61:3, it says, "He wants to provide for those who grieve in Zion, a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness, instead of mourning." Because, as they praised God in the early church, the people welcomed them. Acts 2:47, "They enjoyed the favor of the people as they praised God".

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and When I was in Belfast, I saw a man. He was terribly sad looking, and he gave a fellow a tract. And the fellow didn't even read the tract. He said "I've got enough bad news."

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and David declared, restore to me the joy of your salvation. People outside are looking for Christians full of joy. And I find this in Phillippians 4:8-9, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable, dwell on these things, and the peace of God will be with you." Concentrate on matters that give rise to praise. Look at the postive side, and God will bless you. In fact, in Luke 24:53, "as they were continually in the temple praising God, the Holy Spirit came upon them." And so, there comes a moment in my praying, when I stop asking. I start believing. I start receiving.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and In Scotland, when we were without money, we had "locusts." That is, young people who eat everything! We put out six sandwiches, and everything disappeared. Next week, we had twelve of these young people. And I said to my wife, "Elsie, how much bread?" She says, "we only have half a loaf." So I said, "praise God for half a loaf." So we began to cut the bread and forty-eight sandwiches appeared out of half a loaf! And we began to praise God! When we went without money, we put our last 10 pence in the meter. And the meter went on running for five days, until I got worried. I said, "well, praise God, we've had a wonderful miracle, but just in case the meter's wrong, let's get the inspector." The inspector said, "there's nothing wrong with the meter, but if this miracle continues, in the gas firm, we'll be bankrupt!" You better start praising and start worshipping.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and So, I believe praise and worship brings us into a new realm, the realm of the supernatural. In fact, it prepares us for heaven. In Revelation 5:11-12, "I looked, I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, they circled the throne. And in a loud voice, they sang 'Worthy is the Lamb! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks and honor". And I see in Revelation 19:5, "There came a voice from the throne, 'Praise our God, all ye servants'."

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and And so praise brings an atmosphere of heaven into whatever meeting or whatever situation we are in. How then, should we praise God? Four ways, says the Bible. First, always praise Him when you've had material and spiritual blessings. Deuteronomy 8:10 says, when you've eaten, when you are satisfied, praise the Lord for the good land He has given you.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and Secondly, when you enter into worship. Psalm 100:4, Enter His gates with thanksgiving, enter His courts with praise, give thanks to Him, and praise His name. And so there is a situation when I go into a service, I take time to praise the Lord. A young man came into one of the meetings in London, and he was seeking God in a desperate personal way. A man met him at the door and said, "Praise God, brother," he said, gave him a hymnbook. This man who met him at the door was such a bad singer, they took him out of the choir. He could hardly speak for stuttering. But he wanted to do something, and so, they put him at the door to give out hymnbooks. During the service, this thirsty young man who had come into the church, he thought, "oh the choir is bad, and the preaching is even worse!" And he went out depressed, but the man met him at the door and said, "Oh, Brother, Praise God, Jesus is here, thank you for your book, amen." And when their two hands met, the young man who had come in fell under the power of God. He said, "that's what I want, I want somebody in touch with God." And that young man got up again, he was filled with the Spirit and later became principal of Elim Bible College. So I think God did something in his life. Praise God in worship.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and And thirdly, be thankful for his blessings. Colossians 3:15 says, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts as you're members of one body and as you're called to peace, be thankful." Look at the positive side of what God is doing. Be thankful, worship him, begin to praise him.

It's a joy to come into the presence of God with praise and The final way is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It says, "Praise Him and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God." When we went back to Scotland, just a year or two ago, and we had been praying and worshipping the Lord, and sowing the seed of His word. I found everywhere we had been, from Barkley right through to Inverness, God is raising up people who know their God, and who are strong. And I went to one of the churches and the pastor said to me, "I really do love the way you praise the Lord and the way you preach the gospel, but I'm not too sure that God heals the sick." And I began to say, "well, thank you brother, you don't believe that healing is for today. And yet you're here." And God said, I would speak to this man. And a man came to me, he said, "I want you please, to pray for me," and I said, "but Jesus did not pray for the sick." "Oh, what do you expect?" "Well, what I expect," I said, "is that you are going to get healed." He said, "well, if I am going to be healed, I don't need this stick." So he threw away the stick and began to walk without it. He began to praise and worship the Lord. And he came back later on. He said, "well our church was filled with praise on Sunday. I walked in without a stick." I said, "what church do you go to?" He said, "ah, the church that doesn't believe that healing is for today." You see, God had undertaken, God had given me a victory, because instead of getting depressed, we had given thanks. And out of that positive practice, always praising God after material blessings, entering worship, coming into blessing, and giving Him thanks, God turned the situation around.