Praise = commend the worth of; express approval or admiration of
Ps 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
Ps 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Ps 150:3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Ps 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. *God dwells in our praises – if you want God to draw nigh unto you – praise him!
Ps 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. *We should always come into his presence with praise and thanksgiving.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. *This is why we should praise Him... His mercy towards us results in our salvation. >
Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
*The act of sacrificing is to ‘give up’ or ‘offer’ something – you may be in a trial, or in a discouraged state of mind, not feeling like praising the Lord, but if you will sacrifice your praises to God, no matter how you feel, it will help you through difficult times.
*Paul cast a spirit of divination out of a woman of Thyatira, and when her masters saw that they would no longer make gain from her, they caught Paul and Silas and brought them before the rulers, and when they had beaten them, they cast them in prison. >
Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
*Paul and Silas were in a fearful position, yet they prayed and praised instead of giving in to feelings of defeat and despair, insomuch that the foundations of the prison was shaken and they were freed. Prayer and praise brings results! Surely they didn’t feel like praising, but they knew how to get in the presence of God!
*Jesus enters Jerusalem >
Luke 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
*The Lord demands praise – someone somewhere is going to praise God, and they will reap the benefits!
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: *Not only do we praise him with our lips, but our lives should give tribute to him. We can show the praises of God in our lives by - living a righteous life, by being like him, in showing love and compassion, giving of ourselves, and shining forth the ‘light’ (Truth) that he has called us into.
1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. *Here again we read that we are to sacrifice spiritual sacrifices, praises, and worship from the heart – spiritually, not carnally. Lively means to be full of the Spirit, active, and energetic. We are the building of Christ; he dwells in us and has resurrected us in newness of life.
*A great multitude came against Jehoshaphat to battle, and he set himself to seek God, and proclaimed a fast; God heard and answered… "Be not afraid, nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s …Tomorrow go ye out against them … ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you..." >
2 Chron 20:21- And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. *If you are in warfare with the enemy (Satan), worship, sing, and praise God for his mercy, and he will be merciful in your hour of need.
After Solomon had finished the house of the Lord, & the ark was brought in, & the holy vessels, & they had sacrificed >
2 Chr. 5:13- It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. *When we gather together to worship the Lord, if we will be as one body, one voice, praising and thanking God, his presence will fill the house, and we will experience his glory.
Ps 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
*Truly, there is power in praise! If we begin our day giving thanks and praise to God then he is welcomed into our presence. What can hinder us, what can overcome us? When we gather together in service, if we will offer up holy praises together, the anointing of the Lord will prevail – souls will be delivered, hearts will be revived, lives will be restored, because God draws nigh to our praises.
When you can’t seem to get a prayer through and you feel discouragement or defeat – when everything seems to be going wrong, just praise on!
Ps. 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men
Comments