A QUICK GUIDE TO.......

WHAT IS "PRAISE"?

When football supporters see a fantastic goal, they "praise" the striker who scored it.  Parents and teachers "praise" children who do well at school, and a good boss or colleague will "praise" the person at work who does their job well.  Maybe the employee will "praise" the good boss, and the good company which treats its workforce well.

These situations of praise are about what people do.  But the husband who says to his wife, "You look particularly beautiful today, my love", is praising her for her appearance rather than for what she does.  Similarly, we may say, "What a beautiful sunset".  Do we pause to praise the One Who made the Sun, the Earth and us?

All these forms of "praise" involve "speaking well of" the person concerned.  In the Bible, the Israelites had three main words for "praise", all of which went beyond mere speech:

1. "Halal", connected with making a noise - eg the frequent "Hallelujah!" meaning "Make a joyful noise of praise to the Lord!"
2. "Yada", originally associated with the bodily actions and gestures which accompany praising (think of that football crowd when the goal is scored: do we act like that when praising God?  If not, why not?)  The name of Jesus' ancestor, Judah, is directly derived from this Hebrew word.
3. "Zamar", associated with the playing and singing of music.

As the Israelites came to God, they would progress from thanksgiving to "praise" and then to worship.  Psa. 100:4: "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise."  If God Himself came among them, then all they could do was to worship - eg when God's Temple in Jerusalem was first dedicated: 1 Kings 8:10-11: "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord.  And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple."
  

PRAISE IS IMPORTANT

Praise to God is one of the most important subjects in the Bible, and is one of the Truths of this present day revival.

It is important because praise will break the appointment with death, for it says in Psa. 102:18-20 ... "This shall be written for the generation to come… and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord … from heaven did the Lord behold the earth … to loose those appointed to death."  It is appointed to man once to die, Heb. 9:27 - this is the last enemy.  No wonder praise is so important, for only the praise from a praising people will break this appointment.  In order to enter into this last great truth of "Resurrection Life", we must overcome the last enemy which is DEATH.  The weapon to overcome this enemy is praise. Psa. 149:6.

Psa. 47:7 says we are to sing praises WITH UNDERSTANDING.  In other words, we are to know WHY we praise the Lord, God does not want us to be ignorant in our understanding on the subject of Praise.

WHY WE PRAISE THE LORD?:

1. BECAUSE GOD COMMANDS US TO. See Psa. 117:1.  Paul quotes this verse in Rom. 15:11.  Don't allow feelings to dictate - it's the Word we must obey.  John 14:21 says, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me."
     
2. BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS (and not necessarily what we can get out of Him).  He is the King of Kings.  See Psa. 47:6-7.
     
3. IT IS PLEASANT, or "it is excellent speech", "becoming", " appropriate".  Read Psa. 147:1.  The Bride of Christ is described as comely: Song of Sol. 2:14.  Praise will beautify the Bride.
     
4. IT GLORIFIES GOD.  See Psa. 5:23.  This should be the desire of all God's people to glorify Him.
     
5. BECAUSE OF ALL HIS BENEFITS - Salvation, healing etc.  See Psa. 103:2-5.
     
6. FOR HIS GOODNESS.  He satisfies the hungry soul.  See Psa. 107:8-9.
     
7. FOR HIS MIGHTY ACTS.  See Psa. 150:2.
     
8. BECAUSE IT FULFILS PROPHECY.  Prophesied in Psa. 22:22 and fulfilled in Heb. 2:12 ... "In the midst of the church will I (Jesus) sing praise to You (God)."  The only way Jesus can sing in the midst of the church is to use our lips.  We must then open our mouths and praise God in fulfilment of this prophecy; if we don't - God will find a people who will.  He is able to make even the stones praise Him: Luke 19:40.
     

WE ARE TO PRAISE THE LORD:

1. AT All TIMES ... His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  See Psa. 34:1.  During times of testing, pressure, temptations, storms, calamities, financial distress, let His praise be heard.
     
2. WHEN DISCOURAGED.  See Psa. 42:11..."Why are you cast down, O my inner self?  And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me?  Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him; for I shall yet praise Him Who is the help of my countenance and my God." Amp.
     
3. ALL DAY OUR MOUTH IS TO BE FILLED WITH PRAISE.  Psa. 71:8 says "My mouth shall be filled with your praise and your honour all day." Amp.
     
4. FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN till the going down of the same.  Psa. 113:3: "From the rising of the sun to the going down of it, and from east to west the name of the Lord is to be praised." Amp.
     
5. THEY BELIEVED HIS WORD ... then sang His Praise.  Psa. 106:12: "Then Israel believed His words - trusting in, relying on them; they sang His praise." Amp.
     
6. AT THE RECEIVING OF HIS STATUTES (Word).  Psa. 119:171.  Many times the Word is as a knife and cuts deep, and crosses our will at other times, but we are still to praise Him for His statutes regardless.  This eliminates a rebellious spirit against his Word.
     
7. IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS.  1 Thess. 5:18 - Because we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.
     
8. GIVING THANKS ALWAYS.  Eph. 5:20 says..."At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father."
     

WHO IS TO PRAISE THE LORD?:

1. ALL PEOPLE,, young men, maidens, old men and children.  See Psa. 148:11-12.
     
2. EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH.  Psa. 150:6 says "Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord." Amp.
     
3. ALL FLESH.  See Psa. 145:21..."My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless - affectionately and gratefully praise His holy name for ever and ever." Amp.
     

WHERE ARE WE TO PRAISE THE LORD?:

1. IN THE CONGREGATION among many people.  Psa. 35:18 says... "I will give You thanks in the great assembly: I will praise You among a mighty throng."  Psa. 109:30... "I will give great praise and thanks to the Lord with my mouth, yes, and I will praise Him among the multitude." Amp.
     
2. AMONG THE NATIONS.  See Psa. 57:9.  Despite the unrest, rising up of nation against nation, the ungodly rulers and the lawlessness throughout the nations of the world, we are still to praise Him.
     
3. BEFORE HIS PRESENCE, in His gates and courts.  Read Psa. 100.
     
4. IN THE MIDST OF THE CHURCH.  Heb. 2:12..."I will declare Your (the Father's) name to My brethren, in the midst of the (worshipping) congregation...." Amp.