Key points
- 1
1Praise is training that gives us perspective — it allows us to see what we can't see so we can do what we don't feel.
- 2
2Peter's sinking illustrates that at any given moment, every believer is either looking at Jesus and walking on water or looking at the storm and sinking — there is no middle ground.
“You either are or you aren't looking to Jesus”
- 3
3The most critical time to praise God is when we are overwhelmed, not only when we are overjoyed.
“Praise is a training that that allows you to see what you can't see so you can do what you don't feel”
“the bible over and over says the most critical time to praise is when you're overwhelmed”
- 4
4God calls us to suit up and show up even when the battle belongs to Him — we still take our positions, trusting His victory.
- 5
5At the very moment Jehoshaphat's army began to sing and give praise, God caused the enemy armies to destroy one another — worship becomes a weapon.
“Our band is not a concert. This is the singers and the musicians that are taking point for us. And we are supposed to line up behind them and battle cry our way”
“At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves”
- 6
6The cross is the greatest perspective for praise — if Jesus broke His body and shed His blood to defeat death for us, no storm, virus, or battle ultimately matters.
“If I look to the cross over and over and embrace what Jesus did, that's why he told us to do this together”
A story from life
Pastor Bill's father, a World War II, Korea, and Vietnam combat veteran, describes what combat was like — loud, chaotic, isolating — and how training was the only way to do the right thing under fire.
Application
The pastor's challenge is direct and personal: choose to praise God — not only when life is good, but especially when you are overwhelmed, scared, or exhausted. Just as an athlete who only practices when motivated never becomes great, a believer who only praises when overjoyed will never develop the spiritual muscle to stay steady in the storm. Practically, that means showing up for worship with intention, singing with your voice and your heart, and fixing your eyes on who God is rather than on how big the problem looks. The cross is the anchor: if Jesus was broken so you could be whole, and if He shed His blood to give you eternal life, then no storm, no battle, no season of chaos has the final word. Let that perspective become so second-nature through regular, chosen praise that when the loud and chaotic moments come, your instinct is to look up.
