Worthy of Praise

My book Fresh Fruit Meditations on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit can be ordered from Amazon, Goodreads.com and other online bookstores.  Also available at Christian Bookstores and through their catalogs or on Kindle.  Thank you. Jennifer Chamberlain

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 is important to God. He is worthy of our praise just because of who He is, not because of what He does for us daily. If, by believing in Christ and His death on the cross and asking for forgiveness of sins, all we receive is eternal life, that is enough to praise Him for. But we are blessed with so much more during our lifetime here on earth.

Praising God is about Him and His blessings outside of what He does for us. It is not about our needs or wants. It is all about God. We praise Him because He is the Creator, The Lord of all, the Lamb of God, and the Light of the World. There is so much to praise Him for that has nothing to do with what He can do for us.

Thanksgiving is also important, and we should readily thank God for His blessings. But many of us are lacking in our praise to Him. Fortunately for us, God does not sit on His throne and complain about how little we respect and admire Him.

Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! (Psalm 99:3)

Webster’s Definition of Holy is: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. God’s very name and the name of Jesus are Holy and worthy of our praise. He is perfect, and He is righteous. He deserves our continual praise and worship because He is Holy.

We need to include praise and worship into our daily prayers. The Lord’s prayer begins with praise, “Our Father, who are in heaven, Holy is your name.” Beginning our prayers with praise and glory to God frees us from focusing on our own selfish desires. Each time we realize and acknowledge how great God is, we become less centered on our own needs and more grateful for the salvation, protection, and guidance He give us.

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. ...(Psalm 147: 1-29)

Praise and worship is easy at church when we are singing and clapping. Someone else is leading us in praise and prayer and we just follow along. At home in our private prayer time we may find it more difficult to glorify God. We may not know what to say. We may not feel like praising Him. We have things to ask for and we want to get right to it. But beginning with praise opens doors in our hearts that we don’t even know are closed.

Taking time to praise and worship God on our own, though it may be awkward at first, brings peace and relief during struggles, and joy and confidence that all will be well. We can start with just a simple sentence of “God I praise you for who you are.” The Holy Spirit will take it from there. We will feel the presence of God in a more tangible way when we praise Him.

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)

God enjoys our praise and His word says He inhabits our praise. That is why we feel closer to Him when we offer up praise and worship. He is always with us but when we exalt Him and show our complete devotion, He is pleased with us. We draw closer in our personal relationship with Him and that is always the goal.

Even as human beings, (though this is a very shallow comparison) when we feel that someone deserves to be exalted, trusted, and loved, our relationship with them is strong. When people only ask us for favors, our relationship is based only on needs and wants. When we don’t answer them they way they want us to, they may draw away and the relationship will fade.

God is always with us and will never leave us. He answers our prayers but sometimes not in the way we would like. If we only spend time with Him asking for favors and feel that He is not doing what we ask, we may draw away. If we begin our prayers by praise and worship, we will realize His majesty and we will be humbled by His great love and grace. We are more likely to realize that our wants are not needs and that He has working all things for our good because we love Him.  We can trust Him because He is Holy.

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 106:1)

Prayer: Lord we praise you. You are worthy of our praise. You are the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. You have saved us. We are so thankful for all Your blessings, Your mercy and Your guidance. Please continue to guide and direct our lives. Show us the importance of praise in our prayers and during our days. Praise you Father for sending Your Son to redeem us so that we can come to You with our wants and needs. Let us not forget how great and Holy You are. Amen