Psalms 106:1 Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Praise is a powerful tool! Everybody needs it, everybody appreciates it, but not everybody gets around to utilizing it to bless others. The dictionary definition of praise is “The expression of approval or admiration for someone or something.”
Praise is simply expressing esteem for a person. We know that when we praise one another, we are praising virtues or accomplishments. Praise can also be a great tool of encouragement. We can encourage those who are downtrodden. We can encourage those who are in need of a little confidence and push them to do something extraordinary God.
Praise can also be a tool of endearing. Everyone needs recognition for their accomplishments, but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father: "Let's play darts. I'll throw and you say "Wonderful!” For those of us that understand the value of praise, we also understand just how much praise endears us to either the person we are praising or the person who is praising us.
Perhaps our marriage isn’t as sweet as it use to be? Perhaps our relationship to our children is a little rocky or dry. Nothing that a little praise won’t fix!
By now, we can all agree that praise is a powerful tool…but who exactly are we to praise? We can praise our spouses for the role they have in our lives. We can praise our children for their accomplishments and character. We can praise our peers, and we can even praise those we work with whether in ministry or at work.
However, the most important Person that we are to praise is God! The Bible gives many direct commands to “Praise the Lord.” One of them in particular is found in:
Psalms 106:1. “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
I Corinthians 16:25 also tells us “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.”
Praising God should be a natural thing for believers because our God is a GREAT GOD! God is so great that He is able to save us from Hell! God is so great that He is able to provide for our daily necessities. God is so great that He is able to deliver us from some of the strongest bondage of sin we find ourselves in! God is great, and definitely worthy of our praise!
A body is not crippled 'til its heart has ceased to praise. Louis Albert Banks tells of an elderly Christian man, a fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready for the operation, the man said to the doctor, "Are you sure I will never sing again?" The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question. He simply shook his head no. The patient then asked if he could sit up for a moment. "I've had many good times singing the praises of God," he said. "And now you tell me I can never sing again. I have one song that will be my last. It will be of gratitude and praise to God." There in the doctor's presence the man sang softly the words of Isaac Watts' hymn, "I'll praise my Maker while I've breath,/ And when my voice is lost in death,/ Praise shall employ my nobler power;/ My days of praise shall ne'er be past,/ While life, and thought, and being last,/ Or immortality endures."
Perhaps, as a result of us praising God more, we can express to God His worth; we can encourage God that His power and grace in our life is not in vain, and we can endear ourselves to our Creator with just a little more praise. How about it? Do we see the importance of praise? Do we see the importance of praising God? Are we willing to “on purpose” find ways to praise God more? He definitely deserves it.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE DAY
Psalms 109:30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
