Recently, I experienced one of those mornings (you know the one) where there seemed to be chaos at every turn. In the moment, I was reminded to stop my self-pitying train of thought to praise the Lord. So I began singing praise to the Holy Spirit. It’s no exaggeration when I say that my mood instantly changed. It’s impossible to sing praise and be grumpy! The children visibly noticed the joy within me. My toddler began singing, too! How thick I felt then – that it doesn’t always occur to me to praise the Lord whenever I am feeling low.
While I can praise God through speaking, there is a lot to be said for praising God in song. Singing lifts my heart toward Heaven: it changes my disposition; it opens me up to the workings of the Holy Spirit. This is probably why St. Augustine once said, “To sing is to pray twice.”
Praise changes my heart
Sometimes when I praise – as is true with my moment of singing in the midst of chaos – the difficult situation stays the same, but my heart changes. Joyful singing to the Lord enables me to turn from my problems and place the attention on Him. It’s in these moments that the Holy Spirit works to purify my thoughts and motives – with all its gunk – so that I may truly receive and respond to His inspirations. It’s an expression of pure faith when praising is the last thing I wish to do, because God is put before my feelings.
Sometimes when I praise, it’s the circumstances that change. The trustful surrender of praise in the midst of suffering invites the Holy Spirit to come with power and, if He wishes, move mountains. I think of that accident, when I wrote off the family car. I was at a loss as to how we could find a large family car in such a short time. All I could do in the moment was praise God, acknowledging that only He could sort it out. After a week, we got a call from someone who heard we had an accident. She had just bought a new car and was able to offer us her previous family car as a gift! The occurrence of miracles as a result of surrendered praise may not be the norm. But the Lord always invites us to praise Him with an expectant, child-like faith.
Praise invites the Holy Spirit
Praise is the best kept-secret to unlocking the power of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, the Apostles, “returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually in the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:52-53). The Apostles’ continual praising was a precursor for the soon-to-be outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost!
We are invited, like the Apostles, to praise continually. It’s in this simple, humbling practice that our hearts may be transformed and conformed to the Holy Spirit. It is where we find ourselves increasingly attuned to His voice. We will spend eternity praising and glorifying our Creator in Heaven – we might as well get used to it now!
"Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!"
Psalm 47:6
Check out this simple, yet beautiful way to celebrate the feast of Pentecost with the family here.
Stephanie Philippou, co-founder of Litany of the Home, is a Catholic wife and mother of eight in Melbourne. She has a heart for instilling liturgical living in her home, loves ordered spaces and often laughs at her own jokes.
3 Responses
“Sometimes when I praise… the difficult situation stays the same, but my heart changes. “
Love this!!