Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.  Luke 13:13 

 

As long as she needed their help, the people around this woman had no problem with her. But when Jesus set her free and she started praising Him, they couldn’t handle it. Actually, they wanted to throw her out of their church! How would you have acted if you’d been chronically ill for 18 years, and suddenly Jesus made you whole? People fall over themselves about getting a prize on a TV show. They scream and hug total strangers when their team wins, and the world says it’s okay. But show a little emotion because of what God’s done for you, and they’ll call you a fanatic. No problem; it’s easier to cool down a fanatic, than heat up a corpse! So, what are you going to do? Do what she did! She carried on, and let Jesus deal with her critics. While she was glorifying Him, He was dealing with them. That’s how it works. While you’re praising God, He’s fighting for you. While you’re exalting His name, His angels are coming into your hospital room, or surrounding your loved one who’s in danger, or going before you to open doors. If people are upset because you praise the Lord, that’s their problem! There’ll always be a critic. There may even be one in your house, criticizing you for praising Him in the shower; or at work, mocking you for just giving thanks before you eat lunch. Pay them no attention. Just keep praising God, regardless of the background noise!