Is Praising the Lord still relevant?

We’ve all heard the phrase “Praise the Lord”! The interesting thing is, in my experience most people who say “Praise the Lord” don’t do it—or even understand it! To praise is to state or declare the positive attributes of another. So, “Praising the Lord” isn’t saying those words, it is saying things like “God you are so great, so powerful. You are loving and forgiving, and your grace has saved us! You are so wise your plan is beyond our understanding!”

“Praise The Lord!” is a command to do something. It is not, in and of itself, doing that thing. Saying Praise the Lord without actually praising Him is like saying “Let’s eat!”, but not eating anything. It is a good sentiment, but it doesn’t do anyone any good.

Some see this command as evidence that the all-knowing, all-wise God we Christians claim to worship doesn’t really exist. Instead, we have invented a deity who, like the ancient Greek pantheon, thrives on our praise. This would be disturbing if it were true. But God doesn’t need our praise. If He did, He would surely have better creations to do this! So, why does God repeatedly tell us to Praise the Lord? Because we need to do it! Remember, God is love—agape—doing whatever is best for the other. So, if God, who is love, commands us to praise Him, it must be because it is best for us to do this.

When we praise the Lord—when we focus on who He is and what He has done to the point where we actually say it out loud—we stop thinking about ourselves and our problems at least for a while. Like Peter walking on the water, our gaze is on Him, not on the waves. And like Peter, our life is different as long as we do this. Our focus is on God, His love, His power, His grace, His forgiveness, the joy He gives…and on and on. It is when we stop praising Him that we shift our focus back to the waves (our problems, doubts, guilt, etc.), and sink. When we praise the Lord we think about Him. We focus on His greatness. We fill the empty spaces in our minds with a clear understanding of who God is rather than repeated rehearsals of the bad things that have happened to us!

So how does someone get started who isn’t practiced in praise? I suggest first actually making a list of all the good we know about God. His grace, His power, His love, His faithfulness… Make sure you only list characteristics you actually believe. Focus on the ones you have experienced. Then talk to God (folding hands and closing your eyes is optional!). Tell Him you know these things are true—speaking each of them out loud. The next step is doing this with others. Instead of privately telling God these things, tell someone else about Him. Tell them why God is so great. You may find this awkward, but you can do it—in fact, you were literally created to do it!

Some say we should praise Him for everything. But scripture says we should praise Him in everything—not for it. We praise Him because we know He is still faithful. He is still powerful. He is still loving and caring and forgiving. He is wise and knows what to allow and what not to allow. So yes, I can praise Him in the midst of a serious illness. Not for the illness, but because He is walking through the illness with me, and He is all the things I just listed.

So, Praise the Lord in everything!

Know Jesus and Be Faithful!