Why Praise?

Today’s verse in Revelation tells of a time to come when the whole of creation will be singing praise to God. What an amazing time that will be! But obviously we’re not meant to be just waiting for that era to come; we need to be bringing our praise to God now, moment by moment on a daily basis. Why is that? The first reason of course is that God is worthy of our praise and honour. He desires our worship and it should be a priority for every believer.

Secondly, however, there are blessings that result when we live a life of praise. In Psalm 103:1-2 David exhorts himself to ‘Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits’. He then goes on to remind himself of what those benefits are - that all our past sin can be forgiven, that God can heal every disease, that He can lift us out of any pit (which could be a pit of depression, darkness, discouragement or failure), pouring in His love and compassion, satisfying our desires with good things instead of those harmful things that we may have looked to for comfort and fulfilment. He also talks about our youth being renewed like the eagle’s, which seems particularly good news for some of us! As we praise God, it helps us to take our eyes off ourselves and our problems. And as we focus on the greatness of the Lord and all that He has promised to do, we will find that these benefits become increasingly manifest in our lives.

Praise is also effective in silencing the voice of the enemy, who wants to accuse, deceive and condemn us. Psalm 8:2 says: ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger’. In 2 Chronicles 20 we read of King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah facing a vast army coming against them. After praying and seeking the Lord, Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out at the head of the army praising God, and as they began to sing and praise, God set ambushes among their enemies and they were annihilated. Praise is effective!

Why not make a decision to start each day by praising God for who He is, remembering all His benefits? As we do this, we will find that our relationship with Him deepens and His blessings become more evident in our lives. It will also help to overcome the onslaughts of the enemy.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for spending so much time focusing on myself and my needs, and not on Your greatness and majesty. I praise and worship You now with all that I am. Amen.