Have you ever had a day when all you wanted to do was praise the Lord? This morning, I woke up, and in my mind, a song of praise played. God’s goodness was overwhelming as I thought about how a Mighty, all-powerful, all-knowing God who is not restricted by time, place, or circumstances could love me enough to give His Son to die for me. I thought of how insignificant I am in the scheme of this world, and yet in the midst of wars, natural disasters, and the evil of humanity, He is my personal God whom I can call on at any time or place. He is a God of relationships, caring, loving, and protecting. Not only did He give me a physical life here, but He also created me to live eternally. Every day we make choices, but today I chose to just praise the Lord.
As I was thinking about the praise I was offering up, I began to dig into scripture. The word praise is used 248 times in the Bible. What is the significance of praising God? We praise Him to remind ourselves of His greatness. He does not need our praise. God needs nothing, but He delights in our praise to Him. We should praise Him for His goodness to us. Every breath we take is a gift from Him. He is always good. We praise Him because of the mercy He has shown us as He forgives our sins. Praise shifts our focus from our problems to His power. He alone is worthy, regardless of our circumstances. Praise is also a weapon against despair. It can break the chains of anxiety as it changes our focus.
How do we praise Him? In I Chronicles 16:4 they sang and played instruments in the temple. These musicians were trained and appointed. In I Chronicles 16:9, their praise was to “Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.” We are to praise Him with our whole heart as David did in Psalm 9:1–2 “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” We may not be able to sing or praise Him out loud wherever or whenever we want to, but we can do it in our minds and hearts. Psalm 71:8 teaches us to be filled with praise all day, and Hebrews 13:15 teaches us that it should be continual.
Psalm 71:8 “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day.”
Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Our praise, or lack thereof, will be a testimony to the God we serve. When we face times of trouble, He puts a new song in our mouth. Those around us will see that our reactions are different from theirs, and in Psalm 40:3, they take note, and the result will be that they fear the Lord and put their trust in Him. I have personally had this happen in the workplace, and a coworker and his wife took note, asked questions, and as a result, were saved. We are not just getting through the day, but we are accelerating as we acknowledge our God. We are to make His praise glorious!
Psalm 40:3 “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Psalm 66:2 “Sing forth the honor of his name: make his praise glorious.”
How can we keep this mindset and live out our lives in praise to Him? First, we need to keep a high view of who God is. He is the creator and ruler of the universe. He has total control and needs no help from us to accomplish His will. He knows all, sees all, and has a greater plan for us than we could ever imagine. Second, we need to stop thinking about ourselves and think of others first. Selfishness is a self-inflicted wound that will hamper our growth in every area of our lives. It permeates our society and is accepted as the way we are supposed to be. However, this is the opposite of God’s way. Third, study so you will have something for the Holy Spirit to work with when things seem impossible. We find this truth in John 14:26. Fourth, get to know God! If you want to know Him and have His help in times of trouble, you must be willing to put in the time to study and pray. When you do, you will feel His presence like never before, and there will be a song of praise in your mind even when things are bad.
John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
