Put Praise First!

Judges 20:18

“And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.”

You are in a new year, and this time of people are still in the season of asking God for things, making requests from heaven and there is nothing wrong with that at all. But I feel led to ask you to go another route. What route is that? The route of praise! In our text, the children of Israel had an issue with their brethren, the Benjaminites

and they went to God to ask which of them should go out against them first and God said Judah. 

Now Judah means praise, so in this context I am saying to you let the first thing God hears from you in this new year be His praise. Let His praise be upon your lips, sing praises unto Him and worship Him not your complaints, your regrets, or even your failures.

“Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” Psalm 67:5-7

There is a saying in the South Western part of Nigeria that says he that pours cold water on the ground will walk on wet ground. Have you heard of putting the right foot forward? It means you did the right thing at the right time, that is what that saying also mean in essence. This is what you do by putting praise first on your lips to God. 

The result: Things will happen faster for you because you decided to put Judah first, even the earth too respects that and so will yield of her best to you. So also the new year will yield its best to you. Let Judah go first!