Praise and worship are integral fruit of following Jesus. The Psalmist says, “Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:2–3, NASB95) And this is only one example of the many verses of the Bible that encourages praise.
Let’s dig just a bit deeper. Why do we praise God? I don’t mean that in the sense of our motive but more along the lines of why does God welcome our praise. The Christian understanding of God is unlike that of most (if not all) other religious forms. God doesn’t need our praise. He doesn’t weigh our praise to see if we are worthy of answered prayer. Neither does God demand worship before protection is provided. Our praise as Christ-followers is expected to be an honest and heart-felt expression of our joy in Christ.
Neither is praise and worship limited by time or place. “From the rising of the sun to its setting,” the Psalmist said. The name of the Lord is to be praised during all of our waking hours and every place our feet takes us. I’m not suggesting that we walk into our local marketplace and begin to loudly sing Amazing Grace. Nor is this a suggestion to punctuate our language with “Praise the Lord” every chance we get. But that we would always strive to maintain praise in our hearts and appropriately offer praise when so moved.
This is more than just keeping a command. There is real benefit for striving after a genuine heart of praise. Praise keeps things in perspective. Whether our day is going badly or fantastically, worship reminds us of the bigger God-sized picture. Praise redirects our focus towards God instead of on our problems. And, praise keeps our attitude in check. It’s hard to be filled with praise and angry towards someone at the same time.
Perhaps the best reason for praise is simply that it improves and encourages our relationship with God. It keeps us humble and honest in our prayers. And by extension we tend to treat others the same humble transparency.
There are no rules other than do it. From the first moments of getting up in the morning until our head hits the pillow that night praise God. Give thanks in the good and bad moments. Think of His goodness, love, and grace. Praise Jesus for the life we have in Him.
“Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
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