Chains Gone, Set Free

Somedays, my brain is in "sing mode". Anything I do or say reminds me of a song. So the end result is that I usually sing my way through the day. I guess that is being reflected in my blog today...

The other day, I heard a song that inspired me . The lyrics are: "It's hats off. Thumbs up. He's come through with another might touch. Chains gone, set free. Another weary soul has finally found relief" It goes on to say that "He turned the key. Chains gone, set free". It reminded me of a vision I had as a teenager. At that time, I lived in North Dakota. Brother Eli & Sister Kathy Hernandez were preaching our Youth Camp that year. I was at the altar praying. I remember seeing myself standing there with my hands at my side trying to pray. As I looked down to my hands, I saw that they were in long, heavy chains dragging on the floor. I heard God tell me, "If you will just lift your hands and praise me the chains will be gone". I slowly began to raise my hands. When they were fully raised and I began to praise God. Then, I watched as the chains completely fall off and hit the floor. I have held onto that memory over the years to help me through those tough times.

Praise will allow God to unlock the chains that bind us. It is then that our soul will find the relief. As humans, sometimes we try to deal with our situation our own way. More often than not, that leads to frustration and despair. But if we can take a deep breath, set everything else aside and just praise Him. Praise is the key to our victory. Like another song says, "Just keep praisin' Him, for praise will bring the victory".

Yet another song says, "I'm going to praise the Lord anyway that I can". Praise can be demonstrated in many ways. Psalm 150 says, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD". The Hebrew word praise in these verses is defined as "to shine, to flash forth light". If we have breath in our lungs, it is our "duty" to praise Him. And when we have a praising attitude, our light will shine brighter than ever.

So let your light shine bright today...PRAISE HIM!