"Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant."
Psalms 135:3
Life is made up of moments of joy and moments of sorrow, as Ecclesiastes also reminds us. In times of sorrow the apostle James urges prayer, while in times of joy he says to praise. "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalm" (5:13). So praise is associated with joy and all living creatures should praise God (Psalm 150:6). The Hebrew text uses several terms for praise. The first is "yadah," which means to praise, thank or confess. The second is "zamar," which means to sing praise. While a third word is "halal" (the root of hallelujah), which means to praise, honor or express praise. All three terms contain the idea of thanksgiving and honor to the One Who is worthy of praise. Well aware of this was the prayerful person who accompanied himself along the way with the Psalms, a collection of songs overflowing with praise to God. I hope you have experienced the joy of praising God, the best thing to do before any other. If you've ever been in a situation where you felt alone or didn't know what to do and with praise you allowed God to take over. Christian praise is "the joyful thanksgiving and worship of God, the celebration of His goodness and grace." This implies, simply, that it is due exclusively to God.
And if you look up the reasons you soon discover that they are innumerable. God deserves to be praised and He is worthy of receiving our praise regardless. Second, praising God is useful and propitious. In doing so we remember His greatness, His power and His presence in our lives. Third, praise instills strength in faith, which prompts God to act on our behalf. "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast drawn strength, for the sake of thy enemies, to silence the adversary and the avenger" (Psalms 8:2). Praising God also transforms the environment where we are. Recall the episode of the change that took place when the Levites gave praise and thanksgiving to God and the temple was filled with the cloud of God's glory (2 Chronicles 5:13-14). Fourth, we remember that God dwells in praise. Psalm 22:3 declares, "Yet you are the Holy One, who sits surrounded by the praises of Israel." If we want to see a clear manifestation of God's blessings and grace, we need to praise Him, with all our heart, mind and soul. What makes it extraordinary is its being unselfish, in the sense that in and of itself praise asks nothing of God, but just turns to Him (Psalms 65:1).
You cannot know the true joy and benefits of praising God unless you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You must know that once we become children of God, He dwells in our bodies through the Holy Spirit. This means that wherever we are, God can be praised. The apostle Paul thus reminded the believers in Corinth, "And do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you do not belong to yourselves? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So don't hold back from praising God, sing hymns, clap your hands, rejoice, that we may give glory and praise to our God with our bodies, our hearts, our minds and even our works. There are many ways to praise God! It doesn't matter how you pray and worship God. Just remember that praise should be an amazement of God's power, His infinite love and His incomprehensible grace. Above all, praise is appropriate for every time. This is also the appropriate time. Conclude this reading by addressing spontaneous and sincere praise to Him who is good and whose name is lovable.
Weekly Bible Reading Plan # 26
June 24, Job 3-4; Acts 7:44-60
June 25, Job 5-7; Acts 8:1-25
June 26, Job 8-10; Acts 8:26-40
June 27, Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21
June 28, Job 14-16; Acts 9:22-43
June 29, Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23
June 30, Job 20-21; Acts 10:24-48
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