PRAISING GOD

“I will praise You every day; I will praise You forever and ever. The Lord is great and worthy of our praise; no one can understand how great He is.”  (Psalm 145:2-3 NCV)

Creation praises God. Angels praise God. Infants praise God. One day every knee will bow as the whole world praises God. Scripture is full of examples of praise, especially throughout the book of Psalms. Every one of those verses has a lesson to teach about honoring the Lord of the universe. This specific portion of Psalm 145 is significant because it is like a mini-primer on praise. It tells the who, what, when, where, and why of giving God glory.

The WHO explains God is the One most worthy of your praise. He is so deserving that it is impossible to run out of reasons for praising Him. You can praise God for His gifts, but praise is broader than thanksgiving. WHAT praise does is honor God for who He is, not just what He does. By honoring God through your prayers and actions you bless Him, giving Him pleasure. This alone is a great reason WHY you should praise God (along with the fact He deserves it!). Praise benefits the one giving it, as well as the one receiving it. Praise cultivates contentment by helping you develop a right view of God and yourself.

As for WHEN to praise God, Psalm 145 tells you that it is appropriate to praise God every day. The Psalm says that you will praise God forever, which means your praise will reach beyond the borders of this earth right to your eternal home in heaven. That’s a WHERE that you can look forward to.

The Hebrew word for praising God means “to celebrate His perfection.” Put what you’ve learned into practice by taking time to do that right now. 

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

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