Living with Praise

Merlin Carothers has held both distinguished and dishonorable titles in his 85 years: AWOL soldier, black marketer, demolition expert, presidential bodyguard, master parachutist, Methodist pastor, army chaplain, civil air patrol pilot. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe, Korea, Vietnam, and the Dominican Republic.

He has jumped out of an airplane 90 times. And yet, he says that discovering the power of praise-filled prayer has been one of the most exciting experiences of his life. He has written over a dozen books that recount hundreds of cases where illnesses have been healed, mental health has been restored, broken relationships have been mended, and other “impossible” situations have resulted in miracles—all through the power of God released through praise to God.

I sat down with Merlin in his San Diego, California, office to discuss his experiences.

Julia Kelly: After you found Jesus, how did you find what you believed God wanted you to do with your life?

Merlin Carothers: I knew the moment I became a Christian that I was called to spread the word—to tell others about God’s love and power. I had no idea how or where or when, but I knew that was what I was supposed to do.

Was there ever a time when it seemed praise wasn’t paying off, but God surprised you?
My wife Mary and I had been pastors of a church in California for four years when circumstances forced us to leave. I struggled over that. Why had the Lord led us to work there and then taken it away? How could that have been God’s will? Just a couple of weeks later I got a call from a man who ran a television station in Los Angeles. He said he wanted to do some programs on praise, and he would do them for free. After the first 10 programs, he wanted to do more, until finally we had done 200. I could never have afforded to produce those on my own. God had taken a “bad” situation and worked another of His marvels.

Has your relationship with the Lord changed much as you’ve grown older?
I’ve come to realize the grace of God more and more. I always believed, of course, that God forgives, but I didn’t understand how, when we fail Him, that doesn’t cause Him to love us any less. If a wife hurts her husband, he may say he forgives her and truly mean it, but what she did will still be in his mind and he will probably worry that she might do it again. God isn’t like that. When He forgives, He forgets.

How long did it take to learn to put these praise principles into practice?
Learning to praise is a lifelong process. I’ve been at it for so many years that it comes a bit more naturally now, but it wasn’t easy at first, because it was such a foreign concept. I had studied the Bible all of my Christian life, but it took me a long time to understand how God kept emphasizing: “Trust that I am working for your good. Don’t ever doubt that or be afraid, and I’ll do above and beyond all you could ask or hope for.” (Romans 8:28; Deuteronomy 31:8; Ephesians 3:20) And He always has!

How have you spent your time since retiring?
I’ve retired from being a pastor, but I believe I’m supposed to work for the Lord until the day I die. My hero, John Wesley [1703–1791], did that, and he was nearly 88 when he died. He was up at four o’clock every morning for prayer, then he got on his horse and went out to preach. Now I mainly write. The Lord speaks to me about some topic and says, “This is troubling people, so write about it.” Some of the things I write seem ultra-simple, but those are often the things that touch people the most. Mary says I’ll be writing on the way to the morgue.

What advice would you give to those facing hardships such as job loss, who fear the future?
It’s very difficult to talk to people who are in the throes of financial distress. I don’t ever tell them, “I want you to thank the Lord for your distress,” because that would turn anybody off. What I tell them is to first pray that God will take care of them, and then I try to help them believe that He will. Some have asked me if this principle of praise isn’t just another way to talk about the power of positive thinking. Far from it. Praising God for every circumstance does not mean we close our eyes to the difficulties. When we praise God, we thank Him for our situation, not in spite of it. We are not trying to avoid our dilemmas. Rather, Jesus is showing us a way to overcome them.—Merlin Carothers, Prison to Praise

For more inspirational reading by Merlin Carothers visit www.foundationofpraise.org

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Psalm 147:1-2 ESV – Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

Psalm 136:1-2 ESV – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalms 96:1 KJV – O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.