The Power of Praise

“Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” – Psalm 150

The book of Psalms has a lot to say about praise. In fact, it gives any number of reasons why praising God is important. It also gives various ways of how to praise God. Psalm 92:1 says, “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 147:1 says, “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

Psalms also highlights the attributes of God that are worthy of praise. First, God is full of glory: “May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.”  (Psalm 138:5)  God is great: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” God is wise and powerful: “ Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.” (Daniel 2:20) He is the One who saves us: “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!” (Psalm 18:46)

To try to list all the things God has done is impossible, but it is a worthwhile exercise because it turns our hearts back to Him and reminds us of how much He has done for us. Revelation 4:11 says this: ”You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,  for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave behind when they leave church and get ready for the week ahead. But praise is not a church only event or something we do in the company of other Christians.  Praise should be a part of our life, at home, at work, actually anywhere for that matter. “…I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalms 34:1).

Praise is an expression of faith. It says that we believe God is with us and is in control of the outcome of all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). Praise is a “sacrifice,” something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him. Hebrews 13:15 tells us, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

How is praising God possible? Singing songs and hymns, clapping our hands, praying even jumping for joy…the list is endless. We can give glory and praise to our God with the use of our physical bodies, with our hearts and minds, and with our deeds. There are many ways to praise God! No matter how you praise and worship God, it should result in humble recognition of God’s power, love, and grace for all of us.

Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways have you been amazed by God this past year?
2. What habits can you develop to help you learn to praise God more?
3. How does praising God more help you to trust him more? What other activities help us to trust God more?
4. What are the things in life that prevent us from resting and trusting and praising God?