PRAISE YOUR WAY INTO INCREASE

“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us” – Psalm 67:5-6

Beloved, In Christ, you can PRAISE YOUR WAY INTO INCREASE: “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us” (Psa.67:5-6). We cannot overstate the prominence of praise in the believer’s life. Here, we see that the praises of God's people directly affect the outpouring of His blessings, and the impact of our witness to the world. It was not accidental that God chose the tribe of Judah – meaning "praise" in Hebrew – to lead His people into battle (Num. 10:14), produce the kings over His inheritance (Gen. 49:10), and finally give birth to the Messiah (Heb. 7:14). The productivity of praise is unrivalled!

Jehoshaphat miraculously won a battle when the army of singers began to praise the Lord, with angelic hosts causing their enemies to destroy one another before the Israelites even reached the field (2Chr.20:22). Paul and Silas, beaten and locked in a dungeon, were set free when they prayed and sang praises to God, leading to the salvation of their jailer and his entire family (Acts 16:25-26). Jonah was released from the whale's belly after he repented and turned to praise God (Jon. 2:9-10). This was followed by a great revival among the Ninevites. Of course, praise is neither a down payment for receiving God’s blessings, nor a reward for saying the right words. Rather, as we praise God for who He is, we create an atmosphere of faith in which His Spirit moves. The more we exalt Him, the more completely His power works on our behalf to release Increase!

Divine Increase comes through Praise: “And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small” (Jer.30:19). This is a word of cause and effect. God responds to our action of thanksgiving and rejoicing. He multiplies us to not be few; and glorifies us to not be small. When we give thanks and rejoice in and before God greatly, He responds with multiplication and glorification. Whatever you are thankful for and rejoice about before God, increases. Jesus gave thanks to God over five loaves of bread and two fishes, and they multiplied to feed five thousand people with remnants of twelve baskets (Lk.9:16).

When joyful praise goes up to God, heavenly blessings come down to us, causing the earth to yield its increase, with awesome display of blessings (vv.5-7). God is fearful in praise and blessings. When you praise Him passionately, He blesses you astoundingly! Let the joy of the Lord well up in you; and usher you to thanksgiving, praise, and worship to God. Let the voice of thanksgiving and merry making proceed from you consistently, and the Lord will multiply you greatly and glorify you mightily! Ultimately, God blesses us for His Glory! He does not bless us merely for our own pleasure, to satisfy our carnal desires or just to make us happy. His specific purposes revealed in Psalm 67 are:

God wants to be known – Missions: “That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations” (v.2).

God wants to be praised – Worship: “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You” (v.3,5).

God wants to be enjoyed – Fellowship: “Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” (v.4a).

God wants to bless – Multiplication: “Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us” (v.6).

God wants to be feared – Blessings of Discipleship: “God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him” (v.7).

Please declare with me: “In the Name of Jesus, my heart is full of joy consistently. I rejoice in the Lord forevermore! His praise shall continually be in my mouth. I walk in multiplication of all blessings and glorification of every godly impact. Amen.”