What is Praise?

Praise means “to commend, to applaud or magnify.” When our peers, loved ones and others around us make great strides in accomplishing long awaited hopes, and dreams we share in their joy. We share in their joy by praising them for completing the project that they were working on. It could be a high school or college graduation, starting a business, employment opportunities, completion of a song or becoming an author. Recently, a dear brother in Christ completed his first children s book. It was an exciting time for his wife, family and friends. It was a time to applaud and commend him for this great accomplishment. We know that praise given to others is not to be compared in offering praise to our God. Right? For the Christian, praise to God is an avenue to express thankfulness, worship, and lifting-up the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also an expression of humbling ourselves and focuses our attention upward with a sincere heart of love, adoration and gratitude. High praises bring our spirit into an elevation of companionship and intimacy between ourselves and God — in simple terms...it highlights our consciousness of our sacred union with God. “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance” (Psalms 89:15).

How Do We Offer Praise? We offer praise to God by our actions. There are many actions involved with praising God. For example, actions of verbal expressions of love, thanksgiving, singing, playing instruments, shouting, dancing, lifting or clapping our hands. But, I have learned that true praise is not “merely” going through these occurrences. In a previous article I expressed what true praise and worship really means. Jesus spoke about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, because their worship was only an outward show to man and was not from the heart. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within.

God’s presence responds when we move upon Him with worship! Lifting up Jesus Christ through praise and worship welcomes the Lord’s presence and power in our environment. As we praise and worship him, the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost becomes evident. It often comes as a result of our sincere worship and praise to his holy name. At a time when we verbally express How Great Is Our God, and how awesome is his name above all in the earth—his power moves as we offer this to him. The Lord delights in the love and devotion of his chosen people. If you ever wonder how to please the Lord—offer him heart-felt praise and watch him respond. I have learned that when God’s people really begin to praise His name, there will be a response from him. He will come and dwell with us, which will send the enemy running! Today, I challenge you to become a person of praise, and you will experience the release of the power of God as you forever worship him. ~Blessings.