Praise: the key to experiencing more of God

Do you desire to experience more of God? An important concept to remember is this:  God inhabits the praise of His people. Psalm 22:3 fleshed out, reads “You, LORD GOD, inhabit/ are enthroned around/receive from/ dwell amidst/ and are seated among the praise of your people.”I believe that when you offer up praises to God, His presence is activated in a special way in your life.  Of course, as a believer, God is always there with you, but when praise flows from you, you “turn on the switch” of experiencing His presence in a powerful way.Praise can be seen in three forms.  The manner of praise we are most familiar with is that of jubilant rejoicing, of praising God with excitement when He says a resounding “yes” to a prayer request.  We often experience this kind of praise in corporate worship where the spirit of God flows through music, songs and psalms.Praise can also be a sacrifice.  Hebrews 13:15 challenges the believer to offer up a sacrifice of praise from the lips.  This is a form of praise which is not comfortable.  I often feel that I am gritting my teeth and grunting out the words of praise while “offering up a sacrifice of praise.”  But this discipline has power.  I have faced challenging driving conditions recently and praised my way through the white outs.   Another time, I was sick to my stomach repeatedly for several hours, and focused on praising God in the midst of the retching.  Difficult but a blessing.Praise can also be a peaceful mind-set, non-emotional and disciplined.  This type of praise is that with which you can fill the silences in your life.  Perhaps it will take the form of singing along with praise music, or reciting memorized psalms.  But perhaps, when all is quiet,  you simply open your mouth to declare the goodness of God, or to recite his glorious names or recall out loud the good things He has done.Whether you praise God with an excited heart, gritted teeth, or a quiet, disciplined expression of his goodness, He is there with you in the midst.  Praise activates His presence in a special way in your life.  Try praising your LORD continuously.In Christ,