PRAISE

PRAISE

Part 1

What is praise?

A dictionary definition:

1. saying that a person is good,

2. words or song setting forth the glory & goodness of God,

3. express approval or admiration

4. approve, commend,

5. to think or speak well of,

6. express heartily a high opinion or admiration of,

7. value or prize

Bible definition: exalt, glorify, extol, bless

Who should praise?

Rev. 19:5 His servants, those that fear Him, small & great, ( poor, rich, non-important, important)

Psalm 103:22a all His works ( in all places, everything & everyone everywhere, my soul, KGV)

Psalm 135:1,2 servants

Psalm 150:6 everything that has breath: example: Ps. 148:1-12

Psalm 66:4 all the earth

Psalm 145:10 All His works, all His saints

How to praise

Show outwardly how we feel towards God. Show love, high opinion & appreciation of His goodness.

Ps. 150:3-5 with trumpet psaltery, harp, dance, stringed instruments, organs, cymbals

Ps. 34:3 together!

Ps. 33:3 song & loud noise

Ps. 69:30 song

Ps. 9:1a & Ps. 111:1a whole heartedly!

Why Praise:

He is worthy! Rev. 5:l2 Worthy of what? Power, riches, wisdom strength, Honor, glory, blessing—which is the Bible's definition of PRAISE!

II Sam. 22:4 & Ps. 18:3 He will save me from all my enemies (protection)

Ps. 66:19-20 He listens to us; does not turn away but continues to attend to our prayers; does not hide His mercy giving power

Ps. 139:13-18    v.13 He allowed us into creation

                          v.14 Not just well, here we are, but out of fear & wonder. We are His works & His works are wonderful!

                          v.15 God was there watching us being formed, making sure it happened skillfully, curiously.

                          v.16 He knew us & saw us before we were formed & took the time & effort to map out our lives & record our names; before we even lived one day. ( He has been watching out for us always!)

                         v.17 If He looked out for us before we came into to being, then how much more now!

                         v.18 We can't begin to count His thoughts towards us: each and every day He remains with us.

All this should make us want to praise the Lord, and is a cause for praise that should make us feel very grateful & content!

Ps. 138:2 He is loving & kind; He strengthens us; keeps us bold

Ps. 50:23 praise glorifies & honors Him

Ps. 147:1 it is good to praise; pleasing & fitting unto Him!

Ps. 99;3 He & His name are Holy!

Ps. 66:8,9 He keeps us alive; He takes charge of our soul & gives it life! He keeps us going on the right path!

Ps. 89:1,2 He gives everlasting mercy, faithfulness & kindness

Ps. 150:2 His works are mighty; greatness above all greatness; it is all unselfishly there for all to see!

Ps. 92:1-4 Praise to show your appreciation for all he has done for you.

Ps. 148:13 His splendor goes beyond all that we could ever see, know or experience .

Read Ps. 103 & 145 for personal meditation & study.

More Reasons to Praise the Lord!

Eph. 1:3-14           v. 3 He has given us spiritual blessings

                             v. 4,5 Because of His love for us He planned to make us sons of Christ

                             v. 7 Being His sons through Crist we are made holy; that is forgiven & saved.

                             v. 10 v.13,14 The purpose for this; eventually we will be gathered together to be with Him forever.

                             v. 13,14 Because we are believers & therefore saved he has given us the Holy Spirit; that is His presence within, as proof & guarantee that we are already His! PRAISE GOD!

I Peter 2:9 We are chosen of God to be His people (What a privilege!) We are His priests & holy nation; able to proclaim how He saved us out of darkness.

Isaiah 38:20 He heals! spiritually, health problems, worldly problems, or otherwise.

When to praise:

Ps. 72:15 daily

Ps. 35:28 all day

Ps. 146:2 while I live

Ps. 34:1 at all times, continually

Ps. 145:2 every day, forever & ever

Ps. 113:3 from sun up to sun down (all our waking hours)

Ps. 119:164 7 times a day

Ps. 88:10 & 115:17 Is. 38:18&19 We won't be able to praise Him when our life is over; don't wait! praise now! not just Sundays!

Where to praise:

Ps. 9:1a & 111:1b among the upright, in the congregation (publicly among brothers & sisters)

Ps. 103:22 everywhere! In His dominion (which is in us; we carry our praise wherever we go!)

Ps. 150:1 in His temples & sanctuaries (if we don't or can't praise Him there, where will we?)

PRAISE PART II

Does God praise us?

Ps. 75:10 Ps. 148:14 Praise for His godly ones. (that's us!) With the praise He gives us He lifts us up with power, strength, prosperity, dignity & pre-eminence. (Amplified)

I Cor. 4:5 We will receive praise from Him upon his return according to the kind of servants we have been for Him.

Is. 61:3 Through Christ, those who await Him receive a garment of praise…(or covering of joy, Ps. 45:7) This in turn glorifies God.

Romans 2:9 God looks for changed hearts & minds as an inward form of righteousness not just an outward showing. When he sees our transformation (inwardly) we receive His praise.

Where does praise come from? (noun)

Deut. 10:21 He is our praise.

Isaiah 60:18 These gates are the Lord's way for us & He is our way—therefore being the actual gates of Praise! (Is. 62:10)

Jeremiah 13:11 We are a praise for the Lord when we listen & obey & cling to Him. Stay close!

Hebrews 13:15 Sacrifices: which come from our lips; such as giving thanks to His name, confession that he is Lord & confession of sins; thus glorifying Him.

Isaiah 57:19 He gives us the fruit of our lips. He enables us to praise. The very praise we are giving Him came from Him in the first place!

Hosea 14:12 Thanksgiving & confession are a praise to God.

Examples of praise & nature:

Ps. 65:12-13 Could the beauty & movement of nature be its praise?

Isaiah 55:12-13 Nature's singing & clapping (praise) could represent the change of seasons or just the beauty & wonder of it all.

Examples of praise & people—-New Testament:

Luke 19:37 disciples praised God with shouting & singing—-how?—loudly!

Luke 1:46-54 Mary praised the Lord aloud by magnifying His name with the fruit of her lips confessing that He is Lord. She gave thanks & recognized His blessings.

Luke 2:20 The shepherds praised God for fulfilling what had been told to them.

Acts 3:8-10     v.8 The healed lame man leaped as he praised God.

                       V.9&10 This was a good witness towards Jesus. It aroused recognition, amazement & wonder about Him.

Examples of praise & people-—Old Testament:

Judges 5 A praise song to the Lord from Deborah. 31 verses in all!  Have you lifted up a song to Lord lately?

II Sam. 22 A 51 verse praise song from David after the Lord had delivered him from his enemies. Would you take the time to write such a song, let alone sing it! Praising the Lord may be easy but, it takes time. Could this be part of the Sacrifice of Praise?

Ex. 15:1-19 Moses & the Israelites sang this song of praise recognizing Him as Lord & thanking Him for all he had done.

Ex. 15:20-21 Miriam & the prophetess responded to the above praise with more praise, using timbrel & dancing & singing.

I Chron. 16:7-36 David's 1st instruction of the day was to praise God! He considered this to be the main task of the day. His song equaled 28 verses. Think about it!

II Chron. 5:12-14 All these people gathered together in unison with instruments & singing in such a way that caused the glory of the Lord to actually be seen. Could something like that ever happen in our midst?

II Chron. 29:27-31 People who were gathered praised Him with song & instruments continually. That is to say during & after the sacrifices they made. Does it hurt to make a sacrifice or do you give things up rejoicingly with praise?

II Chron. 20:21-26 Jehoshaphat commanded his people to praise the Lord before and during a battle. They also praised Him after the battle.  The result: deliverance from their enemies and blessings of food & riches.

How do we benefit from praising God?

II Chron. 20:25 More blessings than you can walk away with!

II Chron. 30:26 Joy, grace & mercy follow praise!

Ezra 6:22 More joy & blessings of help!

To improve your life of praise:

Proverbs 27:2 Do not praise yourself.

Proverbs 27:21 Check to see if there are any impurities in your praise life.  Ask the Lord to help you cast them out.

1. Set aside a praise time daily just as you do a prayer time.

2. Praise before & after each prayer.

3. Praise before & after each battle, (spiritual, health wise, world wise, or otherwise)

4. Praise before & after each blessing.

Phil. 4:8&9 Dwell on what is good & worthy. Put this & what you have learned into practice—-that is, ACT ON IT!