Why Praise God?




Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! (Psalm 150:1-6)

Praise is something we crave in our own lives and give out to others when they have done something praiseworthy. It is such a normal, everyday activity and desire that we rarely wonder why it is important to us. We don’t wonder why it is a natural part of us.

We were created in the image of God so praise must be something important to have been so ingrained in us. It must be part of who God is also. We could have been created without the need to praise or to receive praise. Why did God place that attribute in us?

It would be an interesting world, indeed, if we didn’t need to receive or give praise to each other. Would we be driven to do good or to work at our jobs if we didn’t receive praise of some kind? To us, praise is thanksgiving, recognition and something that makes us feel good. So why is praise so important? It is a motivator for sure, but God does not need motivation so why is praising God important?

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. (Psalm 95:1-11)

In addition to thankfulness to the Father for His mercy and greatness, recognizing what God has done for us and praising Him for who He is, takes our minds off our own negative thoughts. We spend enough time thinking about ourselves but when we praise God or others, our thoughts become positive.

Praise reminds us that others have value and to praise God shows Him that we highly value Him above all else. If we neglect to praise Him, what does that say about what we value? Where are our treasures?

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)



Praise requires sacrifice from us. It is a sacrifice of time, effort, and thought. To praise God is to focus our minds and hearts on Him and to acknowledge His sovereignty. It shows that we know He is not just a friend and helper, He is Lord and King over all. His kindness, grace and mercy to us does not diminish our recognition of His strength, power and authority.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah (Psalm 24:8-10)

When we praise God in song or in worship, in thanksgiving, with instruments, or in prayer we are inviting His presence to be where we are. God is spirit and inhabits our praises.

Acknowledging that His is the kingdom, power, and glory brings Him joy and opens us up to the Holy Spirit’s influence in our lives.

Throughout the Bible, praises to God and Jesus are evident. We cannot be silent in the face of such a great Creator. We cannot ignore His majesty, His mercies, or His love. All that we are and all that we have come from God. Our hope for the future and for eternity is in Him. He desires our praise and He deserves our praise. He created us to praise Him.

We are created in His image and we, ourselves, also desire praise, but God is not motivated by praise as we are when someone praises us. He does not need our praise.

39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:39-40)

God desires our love, gratefulness, acknowledgement, and invitation. He wants us to crave His presence so much that we can’t hold back our praise. He wants us to sacrifice ourselves, our time, and our thoughts to Him and He wants us to stop thinking about ourselves and make Him the center of our lives.

The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2)

Prayer: Lord God Almighty, we praise and thank you for your great goodness and mercy. You have given us life, saved us from sin, and you guide us through this evil world. Our worship and praise seem like so little to give back, but it is what you ask of us so here we are. We come before you with love, thanksgiving, and worship You are the King of Glory. May Your kingdom come soon Lord, and may You show your power to the world through us. Only You are Holy. Amen.



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