"Bless [praise] the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless [praise] is holy name!" (Psalm 103:1, ESV).
"Whoever offers praise glorifies Me..." (Psalm 50:23, NKJV).
"O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise" (Psalm 51:15, NKJV).
"You are always on their lips but far from their hearts." (cf. Jer. 12:2, NIV).
(We may be familiar with the words Alleluia, and Hallelujah, which are interpreted from Greek and Hebrew respectively as "praise the LORD!"
Do you recall the Bill Gaither Trio singing that anthem in the '70s? It was ubiquitous on the airwaves and humbled the spirit into just concentrating on praise per se. I recall repeating that phrase in song over and over again ad infinitum. The Psalms is a book of praises; therefore, it's called the Psalter. The Jews called Psalms Tehillim, or "praises," presumably because there's praise for all occasions. The last several psalms are just doxologies or praises to God and magnifying Him through any means possible, every instrument in the band, for instance, brings Him praise; ergo everyone can praise God and you don't need to be a musician (instrumentalist nor vocalist) to bring Him praise: God loves our singing even if we think we can't sing, it brings Him praise and He enjoys it.
Obedience brings God praise and we can do everything to the glory of God and in His name, ultimately bringing Him praise. It has wisely been said that praising God entails much more than uttering the words per se just like giving thanks is more than lip service of saying "thank-you!", because it's an action and we must show our praise by what we do. Sometimes it's singing, but it's not limited to that, because some people literally cannot sing, and they can still praise God. There's no "one-size-fits-all" for praising God, we all do it differently.
(We may be familiar with the words Alleluia, and Hallelujah, which are interpreted from Greek and Hebrew respectively as "praise the LORD!"
Do you recall the Bill Gaither Trio singing that anthem in the '70s? It was ubiquitous on the airwaves and humbled the spirit into just concentrating on praise per se. I recall repeating that phrase in song over and over again ad infinitum. The Psalms is a book of praises; therefore, it's called the Psalter. The Jews called Psalms Tehillim, or "praises," presumably because there's praise for all occasions. The last several psalms are just doxologies or praises to God and magnifying Him through any means possible, every instrument in the band, for instance, brings Him praise; ergo everyone can praise God and you don't need to be a musician (instrumentalist nor vocalist) to bring Him praise: God loves our singing even if we think we can't sing, it brings Him praise and He enjoys it.
Obedience brings God praise and we can do everything to the glory of God and in His name, ultimately bringing Him praise. It has wisely been said that praising God entails much more than uttering the words per se just like giving thanks is more than lip service of saying "thank-you!", because it's an action and we must show our praise by what we do. Sometimes it's singing, but it's not limited to that, because some people literally cannot sing, and they can still praise God. There's no "one-size-fits-all" for praising God, we all do it differently.
When we focus on Christ and meditate on Scripture, we are praising God with our minds. We are to love God with all our minds, as well as our hearts, souls, and strength. When we do the Lord's work we are incorporating our strength, and when we worship, our souls and hearts. "Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6, ESV)!"
Praise is giving glory to God for who He is, as thanksgiving is giving glory to God for what He's done. Praise is comely for the upright in heart and "God inhabits the praises of His people," as Psalm 22:3 says in the KJV. God doesn't need our praise, but we need to praise Him to get into the Spirit. It may make us feel good, but that is not the goal--God deserves our praise and our duty as servants and creatures is to offer it. Paul exhorts us to do everything, even our eating and drinking, to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:31). Whatever we do, in all our work, we are to do it heartily as unto the Lord, not unto men (cf. Col. 3:23).
Many Christians utter the phrase "praise the Lord" (known as PTL) as a matter of course and in a perfunctory manner. But just saying the words per se is not necessarily praising the Lord and misses the point. Indeed we do desire to see God's praise and He lifted up in worship, but it's the same as saying "thanks" when a person really isn't thankful. The heart must correlate with the lips or it's merely lip service. Jesus warned about those whose lips honor Him, but their hearts are far from Him (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Jer. 12:2; Mark 7:6-7). What God seeks is an acknowledgment of His glory, deeds, and presence. "... There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1, NIV).
Who can adequately praise God, for He alone is worthy, and it only behooves us to give Him the recognition He deserves. God thrives on our praises and everything, in the end, shall bring Him the praise He deserves, for even the wrath of man shall praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10).
We enter God's dimension when we offer praise and are ushered directly into the throne room (cf. Psalm 100:4). We must seek God's presence and power to offer Him praise, and this is what glorifies Him in return, as we walk with Him in the fellowship of praise. "Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him" (Hos. 6:3, NIV). Give Him all the credit, to whom the credit is due! Our obligation doesn't ever end and is never fulfilled; uttering the words without follow-through is vain. Soli Deo Gloria!
Praise is giving glory to God for who He is, as thanksgiving is giving glory to God for what He's done. Praise is comely for the upright in heart and "God inhabits the praises of His people," as Psalm 22:3 says in the KJV. God doesn't need our praise, but we need to praise Him to get into the Spirit. It may make us feel good, but that is not the goal--God deserves our praise and our duty as servants and creatures is to offer it. Paul exhorts us to do everything, even our eating and drinking, to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:31). Whatever we do, in all our work, we are to do it heartily as unto the Lord, not unto men (cf. Col. 3:23).
Many Christians utter the phrase "praise the Lord" (known as PTL) as a matter of course and in a perfunctory manner. But just saying the words per se is not necessarily praising the Lord and misses the point. Indeed we do desire to see God's praise and He lifted up in worship, but it's the same as saying "thanks" when a person really isn't thankful. The heart must correlate with the lips or it's merely lip service. Jesus warned about those whose lips honor Him, but their hearts are far from Him (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Jer. 12:2; Mark 7:6-7). What God seeks is an acknowledgment of His glory, deeds, and presence. "... There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1, NIV).
Who can adequately praise God, for He alone is worthy, and it only behooves us to give Him the recognition He deserves. God thrives on our praises and everything, in the end, shall bring Him the praise He deserves, for even the wrath of man shall praise Him (cf. Psalm 76:10).
We enter God's dimension when we offer praise and are ushered directly into the throne room (cf. Psalm 100:4). We must seek God's presence and power to offer Him praise, and this is what glorifies Him in return, as we walk with Him in the fellowship of praise. "Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him" (Hos. 6:3, NIV). Give Him all the credit, to whom the credit is due! Our obligation doesn't ever end and is never fulfilled; uttering the words without follow-through is vain. Soli Deo Gloria!
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