The Power of Praise

I recently read of a family with many children and wish to retell it in my own words as I can't remember it verbatim.  They were struggling to make ends meet and the fridge was often low or empty.  Mom and dad were people of great faith and did hope that God would provide.  A minister friend joined them for a meal one day and observed the mom giving a great sigh whenever she opened the fridge door.  He asked why.

"Well, because it is often so empty and we try so hard to use our resources wisely."  His wise reply..."Sister, don't you think that God will supply what you need?  Instead of a fretful sigh, why not shout 'Hallelujah!' each time you open the fridge or give thought to your need?" 

At first she thought it silly, to shout at the fridge.  Would her family think she'd gone mad??  Instead of a shout, she started with a whispered "Hallelujah." each time she opened the door and saw the meager status of their food supply.  Within the first week or so of her doing this, an unbeliever was moved to provide them with his excess...enough to fill their fridge and freezer to overflowing!  What started as a whisper did indeed turn into a shout.

Psalm 146

   Praise the LORD, O my soul.

    ² I will praise the LORD all my life;

       I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

    ³ Do not put your trust in princes,

       in mortal men, who cannot save.

    ⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

       on that very day their plans come to nothing.

    ⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

       whose hope is in the LORD his God,

    ⁶ the Maker of heaven and earth,

       the sea, and everything in them—

       the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

    ⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed

       and gives food to the hungry.

       The LORD sets prisoners free,

    ⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,

       the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

       the LORD loves the righteous.

    ⁹ The LORD watches over the alien

       and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

       but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

    ¹⁰ The LORD reigns forever,

       your God, O Zion, for all generations.

       Praise the LORD.

¹"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,   ⁶ "Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns. (from Revelation 19)

HALLELUJAH!