Praise Continued…

In my previous blog, I’ve shared my thoughts on ‘Praise’ and I would like to talk about it a little bit more today. We learned that God commands us to praise Him. It’s not to say that God has insecurities - NOT at all! He is the Creator of all things - the Master of the universe! - “All the earth bows down and sings praise to His name.” (Psalm 66:4). God is not like us - God is God - and we are not. And He knows us even before we were born.

First, we need to define what praise means - here’s what the dictionary tells us:

Praise is to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.
To offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.

Something happens when we begin to praise God! I believe when we find the habit of praising God in all kinds of circumstances it helps us know that God is in control and we find His “Peace” in the midst of storms in life! Praise puts God in first place. It is always turning our attention from ourselves to God. We remember who God is and what He has done, instead of wallowing in the mire of self-absorption or having a pity party. It focuses our thoughts on His majesty and power and invites others to do the same. It is an act of will and a conscious decision to commend, approve and glorify Him. Therefore, praise is not based on our emotions or feelings. We don’t have to feel great to praise the Lord.

This attitude is quite evident in Psalm 42 where the psalmist laments that his life had hit rock bottom. But we learn in verse 11 that he put his hope in God and he chose to praise Him. Despite the many things in our lives that may seem to be wrong, praise should be our conscious choice because we know that God is the answer to our problems. As long as He is in charge, things will get better. Our intimate fellowship with Him makes this difference. We can focus on what is right - God and His goodness to us - no matter what else is wrong. Praise is a willing sacrifice! (Psalm 54:6). This sacrifice of praise won’t cost us any money, but it will cost us our self-centeredness and our natural tendency to dwell on whatever is wrong in our lives. Giving God a sacrifice of praise means that we choose to dwell on Him instead of ourselves.

Lastly, praise is an expression of faith. We praise God even when we do not see Him. Yet we do know that His Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit helps us to know who God is. We praise Him for his creation. So, again, I say make a habit to praise God no matter what you are going through today.

Praise the Lord at all times! (Psalm 34:1)

Junn