Introduction
Greetings in Jesus name!
Psalm 150 says
“Praise the Lord, Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power. Praise him for his surpassing greatness”.
As we have come to yet another end of the year 2024. To many of us it was a year of trials, success, healings, challenges and victories, it is quite evident that all of us have joyful praises and thanksgiving to offer to our God, as to us none of our accomplishment were achieved by our own strength except from our Lord. Psalm 78:4” So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; to all generations we will tell of Your praise. Psalm 96:1
“For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”
Psalm 98:1
“O sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
What is Praise?
We believers often speak of “praising God,” and the Bible commands all living creatures to praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6). One Hebrew word for “praise” is yadah, meaning “praise, give thanks, or confess.” A second word often translated “praise” in the Old Testament is zamar, “sing praise.” A third word translated “praise” is halal (the root of hallelujah), meaning “to praise, honour, or commend.” All three terms contain the idea of giving thanks and honour to one who is worthy of praise.
The book of Psalms is a collection of songs filled with praises to God. Among them is Psalm 9, which says, “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High” (verse 2). Psalm 18:3 says God is “worthy of praise.” Psalm 21:13 praises God both for who He is and for His great power: “Be exalted in your strength, LORD; we will sing and praise your might.”
Praise in the Bible is the recognition of God’s character or works. It is a way of proclaiming God’s merit or worth. Many terms are used to express this in the Bible, including “glory,” “blessing,” “thanksgiving,” and “hallelujah”. Praise honours God because of His divine deeds and character. In simpler terms, it means to be thankful for God’s blessings, and to declare that good news to God and to others.
The Importance of Praising Our God
- Praise lifts Our spirit. Psalm 42:5-6 says: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Saviour and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you” (NLT).
- Praise helps you sense God’s presence.
God is always present whether you sense it or not. Sometimes we don’t feel his presence, but that’s because we’ve moved away from him. He hasn’t. The Bible says, “Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence” (Psalm 140:13).
- Praise enlarges your perception of God.
The Bible tells us this in Psalm 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving”. When we look at something with a magnifying glass, it gets bigger. When God gets bigger, our problems get smaller. Either your problems will be big, or God will be big. It’s your choice.
- Praise helps us remember God’s blessing.
Often when we’re thinking about a big problem, it’s all we can think about. It colours everything in our lives.
Praise will correct the imbalance. It’ll remind you that not everything in your life is bad. In Psalm 105, the Bible describes this pattern: “Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! … Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered” (Psalm 105:1, 5).
- Praise enlists God’s protection.
When you praise God for an answer to your prayer before it happens, that’s faith—and that’s when God begins to fight for you.
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about three enemy nations who ganged up on Israel. The only chance Israel had was for God to miraculously save them. So, King Jehoshaphat organized an unusual battle plan. He put a choir in front of the army as they marched into battle. The Bible says as soon as the Israelites started praising God, confusion ensued—and the enemy was defeated.
Types of praise
- Yadah: To worship with extended hands, as a sign of surrender
- Tehillah: To sing a new song, or to praise and thank the Lord.
- Barak: To kneel or bow, as an act of adoration
- Halal: To praise God boastfully
- Towdah: To give worship by extending hands, or to agree with what has been done.
- Zamar: To sing with instruments.
- Shabach: To address in a loud tone, or to proclaim the glory, triumph, power, mercy, and love of God.
Conclusion
Praise is the greatest reservoir of power the world has ever seen demonstrated. God’s power released in praise is the same power He used to make the earth. One reason God created humanity was to praise Him (Eph. 1:5–6, 12). Faith moves God and praising Him is an expression of our faith in Him. Praise releases His power to work on our behalf. God is not moved when we cry to Him in unbelief. But instead, we should put our faith in Him and demonstrate that faith by praising Him, He will bring us through every situation to a place of victory.
It is our duty to praise God. We see that in the Book of Psalms. We read in Psalm 107, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (v. 8). The Bible tells us that the experiences of the children of Israel are written as examples for us (1 Cor. 10:11). If they constantly praised God in their psalms, how much more should we praise our loving Heavenly Father!
Stay blessed this season shalom!!!!!!!!!