Praise Practice
I know what you will be doing in heaven. The same thing I will be doing. Praising God for eternity!
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb Be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”
Revelation 5:13, NIV
Just imagine what it will be like in the visible presence of God. Freed completely from our sinful, earthly shackles we can praise God with total abandon. That will be our primary heavenly activity. And it will be sweet!
Yet how often do we praise God here on earth? God deserves it. He also commands it. And frankly, I need the practice. What about you?
Why should we praise God?
He is worthy. God deserves our praise. In fact, He alone deserves all praise.
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Revelation 4:11
He commands it. Throughout Scripture, the summons to God’s people to praise Him is most often in the imperative form. God commands us to praise Him. And like all His commands, praising God is not only fitting because He is worthy, it ‘s also for our good. He created us to worship and praise Him. So when we do, we are fulfilling the purpose of our lives.
What does “praise” mean?
I looked up a few of the words used in the Psalms as a call to praise – words like praise, extol, bless, exalt, glory, and laud. I will attempt to wrap it all up in one summary.
Praise is an act of humbling and submitting ourselves before the One who is worthy. It is recognizing God’s high and lofty position and expressing adoration for Him and His divine qualities. It is voicing sincere and deep gratitude for who He is and what He has done.
What does “praise” look like?
Our creative God has given us a variety of ways to praise Him. Praise can be expressed through speaking, singing, dancing, and music:
Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
Psalm 149:1-3, NIV
Let’s Practice Praise
Is your praiser a little rusty? Spend a few minutes practicing today. If you need help getting started, turn to the end of Psalms. The last six, 145-150 are particularly heavy with praise.
King David was the ultimate worship leader. The Psalms are filled with his songs of praise. Not only are they models for us, they can also “prime the pump” for our own praise. Here are a few ways we can use them:
Prayerfully read them out loud back to God.
Reword them as your own and pray them back to God.
Use David’s praise as your starting point. Elaborate on them in prayer.
Let’s fill the comments with praise today! God calls us to individual praise and corporate praise. Today, let’s share words of praise with each other here in the comments. You can use a verse from one of the Psalms that reflects your heart or use your own words.
