I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Ps. 34:1)

When I was a teenager, I went to Tanzania to stay with missionaries Ralph and Shirley Hagemier for the summer. I remember going out into the bush to preach in churches and the way they praised still stands out to me today.

The African Christians lifted their voices to praise with all their heart and strength. I did the American style of praising for about 30 seconds and thought I was finished. But those believers wouldn’t stop until the pastor finally went to the pulpit and began to ring a bell! He told me they had a problem. They didn’t know when to stop praising God! I told him we had a similar problem in America, but it was the opposite, we had to play all kinds of music to even get them started.  

I was really put to shame by a lady who caught my attention by her loud shouts of joy and praise. She was handicapped because she had no legs, but she was “out-praising” everyone else in the church! She understood Psalm 103:1, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

Praise is vocal. It can be seen and heard by others. We see a great example of this in Acts 16. Paul and Silas were imprisoned, their hands and feet bound in stocks, but the authorities forgot to tape their mouths shut! I like to say that as long as you have your voice, there’s no prison that can hold you.

As long as you have your voice, there’s no prison that can hold you!

At midnight, as Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, loud enough for the other prisoners to hear them – something began to happen.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed.
(Acts 16:26)

Paul and Silas did what many Old Testament prophets and minstrels did in times of trouble. They believed what God had spoken, sang His praises (Psalm 34:1, Ps. 105:43, and 2nd Chronicles 20:21-22) then watched as He showed up and turned their situation around!

God will do the same for you. Psalm 50:23 says, “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who order his conduct aright, I will show the salvation of God.” The Hebrew word for praise here is towdah which means “an extension of the hand, or (usually) adoration; specifically, a choir of worshippers: - confession, (sacrifice of) praise, thanks (-giving, offering).” When you praise and thank God, it is a sacrifice that results in a breakthrough in your situation.

Your Voice Is Your Address
I like to say that your voice is your address in the realm of the spirit! The Holy Spirit always fell wherever the Word was preached or somebody started praising. Some folks substitute applause for opening their mouth to praise God, but salvation comes to the ones who lift their voices!

Your voice is your address in the realm of the spirit!

Whenever we find ourselves in a position where our help has to come form God alone, that’s when we can offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to Him and expect Him to show us His salvation. His salvation is His deliverance, safety, provision, preservation, and soundness.

We must confess, or acknowledge, what He has declared in His Word to be true in our present circumstances. And we must do it continually. Hebrews 13:15 say, “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name.”

The Amplified Bible translated this verse: “Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His Name.”  

God is watching over His Word to perform it, but we must open our mouths and praise – and not just occasionally. We must be like David who proclaimed, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth,” Psalm 34:1. He was a man who knew how to tap into the anointing by singing praises to His God.

As believers we should follow David’s example in praise. However, ours is a grater advantage and privilege under the new covenant. Let’s tap into that anointing like David did.

As the Message Bible says in Hebrews 13:15, “ Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.”