The Benefits of Praise September 7, 2015

Psalm 150     Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Genesis 1:14     And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,

Psalm 19:1     For the director of music. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 68:34     Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens.

Psalm 73:17     till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Psalm 102:19     "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth,

Think about your most recent prayer to the Lord. Did you spend as much time praising Him as you did making requests?

In our selfish society, many people even attend church to get needs met: Singing helps emotions, sermons “feed the flock,” and the choir entertains. It is possible to let our own preferences overshadow the Creator’s primary purpose for our lives—namely, to exalt Him.

Praise both magnifies and pleases the Lord, but we actually benefit from the practice as well. First, adoration of God modifies our estimation of “self”—it’s impossible to truly elevate God while clinging to pride. Instead, we come to recognize our sin, weakness, and need of Him. As Scripture tells us, the Lord’s power is manifest when we show genuine humility (2 Cor. 12:10).

Next, praise appropriately humbles us, as it is a reminder of God’s greatness and our dependence upon Him. But at the same time, exalting Him strengthens our sense of assurance, thereby increasing our faith. Then we are able to look beyond ourselves and our circumstances to see life from God’s perspective. And consider one additional benefit of praise that involves our physical bodies: When we focus on Jesus’ goodness, tension leaves and we find new strength. All these supernatural effects of exaltation are possible because as we lift up His name, God is present—Psalm 22:3 tells us that He inhabits the praise of His people (KJV).

Think about the Lord’s attributes and His work in your life. What can you praise Him for today?