I kinda wanted to finish talking about praise and thanksgiving before we launched into the Christmas messages. Living a life of praise is not only the most enjoyable way to live, it’s also one of the most powerful ways to change your life. Praise isn’t like the caboose that just follows what happens, but it’s more like the engine of a train that makes things happen. Your faith isn’t complete without praise. Colossians 2:7 says, “Abound in faith with thanksgiving.”
Praise (thanksgiving) affects you and touches everything and every part of your life. Nearly everyone agrees that praise is good. I don’t know anyone who wakes up in the morning and plans on being depressed. They’d like to be happy and praise God, but they don’t feel they have any control over this. That is definitely not the case.
The Lord told His disciples the night before His crucifixion not to let their hearts be troubled (John 14:1). This wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command. We live in a negative world. So much of what we hear is just negative, and we have to make a deliberate effort to be positive and counter the culture we live in. Praise helps us achieve that.
Paul said in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." Paul didn’t just say it once; he said it twice. We are always supposed to be rejoicing in the Lord. Philippians 4:6 says, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Do you know what the Greek word for “nothing” in that verse means? It means nothing! Sure, you might have problems, but you can go to the Lord of Lords and King of kings.
Jesus demonstrated the right way to bring our requests to God. He used what I call the “sandwich technique,” where we sandwich our requests in between two slices of praise. We start with praise, and we end with praise. Look at the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew  6:9-13). He started by praising God: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.” And He finished by praising God: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.” That’s the way to do it.
I have personally felt the benefit of rejoicing in the Lord. I really believe that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). That blesses God! Praise is not the inevitable byproduct that comes when everything is going right in our lives; it is the driving force. Praise will get our focus where it needs to be - on God.