“Lord,” Moses said, “cause Judah to prosper. May his tribe increase. Help him when he encounters the enemy.” As the people of Israel marched through the wilderness and, again, as they will march into the Land of Promise, which tribe leads the way? Judah. Judah means “Praise.” We enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). Praise is always the key.

Christian scholar and author Francis Schaeffer reportedly once said that if he had one hour to present the Gospel to someone, he would use the first fifty-five minutes to tell him what God is like, and he would use the last five minutes to communicate how he could know Him. The same holds true for the believer. If you want to be victorious and fruitful in your walk with the Lord, praise is absolutely foundational and essential. As we praise the Lord, our focus shifts from what we need to do to what He has already done; from our insufficiency to His all-sufficiency; from our weakness to His all-encompassing strength.