Praise Opens The Door To Grace (Part 1/3)

Challenges can seem like a looming mountain, intimidating us with a sense of fear and defeat. However, God has a simple solution for you to enjoy His presence in the midst of your crisis—and watch His avalanche of supply break down those daunting problems. Join Joseph Prince in this three-part series as he unveils to you the power of praise.

The Power Of Praise

Annie was having a wonderful time with her family in sunny Singapore. They had flown here all the way from Japan to soak in the Christmas festive season. In fact, the highlight of their trip was to attend my home church, New Creation Church’s, very first service at its spanking new venue—The Star Performing Arts Centre, and they were thrilled to be part of the opening celebration during the service that day.

But on New Year’s Day, the day they were to leave for Japan, Annie woke up feeling nauseated and having severe stomach pains. What a way to start the new year!

To make matters worse, they were scheduled to fly home that night. And as Annie’s symptoms persisted throughout the day and she started feeling feverish, she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to withstand the seven-hour journey home.

Then, recalling something that I had preached in one of my sermons on the goodness of God, she began to look to the Lord instead of focusing on her pain. In the midst of her persistent symptoms, she began to praise the Lord in a very simple way. She shared, “As long as the symptoms continued, I kept whispering, ‘Praise the Lord for He is good.’”

That night, friends from church came to see Annie and her family off at the airport and to pray for them. To her amazement, shortly after they had entered the departure gate, she discovered that all her pain and symptoms had disappeared. She said, “I suddenly realized that I had no more nausea, stomach cramps, or pain. In fact, I had a very good flight back to Japan that night. Praise the Lord for He IS good!”

Magnify The Lord

Turn your pains into praises.

You’ve heard the saying, “Turn your cares into prayers.” I want to encourage you today to also turn your pains into praises. I’m not just talking about physical pain, but any kind of pain. The pain of a rejection. The pain of being in debt and depressed. Or perhaps the pain of being addicted to something that’s tearing your life apart.

When we experience pain in any form, we tend to focus on the pain and on ourselves. “When is it going to end? Why is this happening to me? How am I going to go on?” We dwell on and magnify the problem until it becomes a big, hairy monster in our consciousness. We see ourselves as small grasshoppers incapable of overcoming the giants. And the more we focus on our challenge and how big it seems, the more we become fearful and depressed, and feel hopeless.

God, however, wants us to magnify Him in our consciousness. When we see how big, powerful, strong, and loving He is toward us, then peace comes. Hope comes. Strength comes. Faith rises and we’re reminded that no problem is insurmountable. Every mountain melts like wax in His loving presence as we look to Him (Psalm 97:5). There’s a hymn that goes, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things on earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” In the light of Jesus’ glory and grace, the largeness of the pain or problem pales in comparison, and we are assured that all things are possible with Him. My friend, He will make a road in your wilderness and refreshing streams in your desert (Isaiah 43:19). Look to Him and magnify Him!

One of the best and simplest ways to magnify God in our consciousness is to just praise and worship Him. There’s something very powerful about praising God in the midst of our challenges. It puts our focus back on the One who loves us perfectly, whose resources are limitless, and it opens the door to His lavish grace!

The good news is that through the cross of Jesus, there is already an open heaven above you­—God is constantly supplying an abundance of His grace to you. But when you praise and worship Him for His goodness in spite of your circumstances, you begin to lay hold of that grace that’s already present. You begin to walk in it and experience His supply in the situations that you are facing.

Praise Opens The Door To Grace

You may be wondering why I say that praise opens the door to God’s grace. Is there Scripture for this?

Well, the first time the word “praise” appears in the Bible is in Genesis 29:35. When Leah bore a fourth son to Jacob, she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” That’s why she named this son Judah, which simply means “praise.”

Now, the word “praise” is the Hebrew word yadah. Yadah is made up of three Hebrew alphabets: yud, dalet, and hei. If you’re familiar with the Hebrew alphabet, you would know that each alphabet corresponds to a particular pictogram as well as number. So yud corresponds to the picture of a hand. Dalet corresponds to that of a door. Hei corresponds to “5,” the number of grace. So when you put them all together, you have:

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Hebrew reads from right to left. So can you unravel the key that’s hidden in the Hebrew word yadah? What does “hand (on) door (of) grace” mean? What is it trying to tell us about yadah or praise? My friend, it tells us that every time we yadah or praise the Lord, praise opens the door of grace in our lives! God’s Word is so amazing—there are no insignificant details.

Turn to the Lord in praise, and you will see the door of His grace swing wide open for you.

Whatever the challenge you are facing today, I want to encourage you to just turn to the Lord in praise, and you will see the door of His grace swing wide open for you. His grace will come flooding into your situation, to give you hope, impart faith and wisdom to you, deliver you, restore you…to give you whatever you need!

Please understand that we don’t praise God for the problem. We praise Him in spite of the problem and in the midst of the problem, because we know that no matter what the challenge, His love for us never fails. He is good and His mercy endures forever. When we consciously remember and worship Him for His goodness and mercy, we will see His unmerited favor and unlimited power unleashed in the situations that we are facing.

So start singing praises to the Lord. If you have a problem at work, sing praises. If you’re feeling lonely and down, practice His presence and worship Him. If you’re under the weather or have been given a bad medical report, sing praises to your healer and worship the one who is bigger than any medical crisis. Open the door to His grace and let Him impart to you the blessings and breakthroughs you need. Let Him do the impossible for you!

>> Praise Opens The Door To Grace (Part 2/3)

>> Praise Opens The Door To Grace (Part 3/3)
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Praise Opens The Door To Grace

11 Comments

  • Marilyn Huwald says:

    It was a very inspiring and help me to strengthen my faith, God grace is a blessing, open door to know that I have a loving and awesome God. Praise and God be the glory.

  • Lecia Chang Wai says:

    Joseph Prince’s messages have changed my life. I have learnt and i understand so much more than i ever did about the awesome love that Jesus has for us. Thank you Pastor Prince for allowing the holy spirit to guide and lead you….your message of god’s grace is changing so many hearts and lives for the kingdom of god and bringing hope and restoration to so many people. God must truly smile everytime he looks down on you. Thank you again.

  • Rachel Moodley says:

    God is faithful to His children

  • Yaineabeba says:

    God bless you I have no word… Your teaching is perfect and Chang my life . O glory to our God father!!!
    Thank you pastor prince

  • Shraddha Rane says:

    Thank you so much for your aspiring words. I wish to meet in you in person. May god continue to help you to help us.

  • aksanti juron says:

    I thank you for this message i wish i could have been near and worship and participate live with Prince Joeph, i am christian and i do beleve in God miracles severals times when ever iam into my prayer fasting i always put , play Joseph Prince on my IPaD youtube for his power ful inspiration, for to day this word :

    (Whatever the chalange you are facing to day i just encourage to turn it to The lord in praisse and you will see the door of his grace swing open for you)

    I fuly trust in this because i have experienced it and God has ensuered severals times, for to day dear belever with me help to join me for my prayer request of my day for God to perform Miracle for me by providing me all fully suport for the trouble my parents are about to face in few days God you wil be the answer the God aboth all Gods the almigthy bless me i will turn back to you with greatly testemony to all those that ignore your name being!!!!!!!!

  • Ruth mwai says:

    Pastor prince i just love your messages,love you soo much

  • Rosalind Pillay says:

    Pastor Prince Your messages are healing to my soul. Your sermons take me to Heaven. I thank thank for blessing me with Your messages Amen

  • Robert Hurst says:

    We love Pastor Prince, his teaching and preaching of Grace is amazing! Pastor Prince’s connection to the Hebrew letter Hey is also a close story for us too. We did not realize that it was his symbol behind his pulpit until after we were viewing one day. That letter has connection to our family and we want to get tattoos of it on our hand, and we found out afterward that it is connected to him as well. The way God connects us all is amazing! We love his teaching and Praise God for his obedience!

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  • Njapchach Titus says:

    I am wonderfully blessed sir

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