How to Practice the Art of Prophetic Praise

One of the greatest skills we can hone in life is the ability to build up the people around us. Whether that be your children, coworkers, spouse, friends, or even a complete stranger, the importance remains the same. Think back to an instance when someone took the time to pour into you; be it spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or physically. Do you remember how that felt? 

 When one does this often, they are really cheering you on as you reach for a goal to be attained in the future. In short, they believe in you and your future potential. Usually, their belief in you is at a time when perhaps you are struggling or do not feel like you’re enough. You’ve given up on your dream. This person can sense that you need a little bit of “praise” from someone else. Someone that can envision your future and believe that it is good when you simply cannot. 

The word prophetic is described as; accurately describing or predicting what will happen in the future. This is the ability to envision what will likely happen in the future.  We will look at this specifically from a psychological perspective, the main question being, how can we apply the act of believing in a positive future?

When we express admiration or approval for someone, this is the act of praise. As humans, we naturally seek admiration and/or approval from others. Recently, my two year old daughter has begun asking me if I’m proud of her, or am I happy. She is seeking approval and love based on who she is and her actions. This is an innate reaction that started all on its own. When I respond to her with praise, she lights up like a Christmas tree. However, when I disapprove because of whatever action she did that was not right, you can see her disappointment. My next reaction is crucial to her ability to know she’s loved. I may disapprove of her actions or behavior, but my unconditional love stays the same. 

If we link both these words, we have a powerful tool that can be used against our greatest adversary. The enemy revels in every opportunity to attack our minds. A negative mindset is a habit that we fall into overtime if we are not careful. Our mood depends on our thoughts. The ability to incorporate prophetic praise will depend on your thoughts and mindset. 

A paramount question here is who or what do we praise? We praise God, not our situation. In praising God, we develop a relationship with Him on an intimate level;  allowing us to prophetically praise, because we know what kind of God we serve.  As much as we have an innate need to feel loved and approved by others; God expects that same kind of praise we so eagerly seek. The kind of praise that is innate, a natural flow of love towards Him, even when things are not good.  

About two weeks ago, I woke up with these two words on my heart – prophetic praise. The moment my eyes started to open, those words rang in my ears and pierced my heart. It’s been a season of patiently waiting for God to turn certain situations around. A seemingly long period of time filled with praying and waiting for Him to fulfill the promises that He placed in my heart. I can not lie that this season has been difficult. There have been times I’ve asked myself if I was wrong. But as I rolled out of bed that morning, God told me exactly what to do in this season. In your waiting, you need to begin the act of prophetic praise. To believe what I’ve placed on your heart and thank me before it has even come to pass.

We can confidently carry out prophetic praise in two ways. The first is praise based on His promises found in scripture. A simple yet powerful promise is Jeremiah 29:11. This verse tells us that God has good plans for us, that there is no intention of harming us! Whatever difficult  or incomprehensible situation you are walking through. This scripture is your anchor and hope to prophetically praise Him for what He will do. Alternatively or in unison, you can praise God in advance for the promise or word He’s impressed solely on your heart! Only you can truly know what God has spoken in your life. So hold onto that, and trust His timing. 

As we begin to apply this crucial practice to our daily lives, our mindset also shifts. The outcome that stems from prophetic praise is life-changing. You start to refocus on God, and praise Him for who He is. Thanking Him in advance not only pleases God, but it starts to create new positive pathways in the mind. Putting this into practice will open up a new form of praise in your life. A special praise not dependent on your situation, but on who God is.

This weekend our family was supposed to travel to our park home for Canada Day weekend. Unfortunately, our van broke down, and we were unable to have it repaired in time. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. Ever since I’ve put the practice of prophetic praise into my life, I find myself easily shifting into praise based on who He is. Instead of sulking all weekend, we went and bought a few perennial flowers for our garden. I told my husband, this was my declaration that I would praise Him in all things. The ability to shift my focus from the problem to blessings already placed in my life is paramount for a healthy mindset. As we learn to do this the mind and heart find a rhythm of praise! Praise builds faith, which bridges the gap between our unbelief and hope that comes from God.  

This week I challenge you to start to envision the good plans God has for you. Not only envision it, but start to prophetically praise Him for it, and trust in the process.