In Isaiah 43:7 we are told that we are created with the purpose of GLORIFYING HIM. Even Christ told us in His model prayer to begin with adoration of the Father. We are to testify to all of God’s faithfulness and mighty works. Let’s face it, we should start and end our prayers with praise.
The more we know of the Lord, the more we should desire to praise Him. The songbook of the Bible, also known as Psalms, gives us many examples of praise. One of the many Hebrew words for praise is ‘tehillah’. This means to sing praises to the Lord. Psalm 22:3 says that the Lord is the one who Israel praises! Music is an important part of praising God. As you can see in Colossians 3:16, singing praise was one way early Christians would educate others. They had the Old Testament but nothing of the New Testament in writing at this point. For the purposes of a daily workout, you can listen to hymns, or sing songs of praise yourself. Why not find some praise and worship music to include on your ‘playlist’? Use that as you go to work, as you relax or even as you exercise your body!
“Hallelujah” is a word recognized around the world. “Hallel” means to boast or to brag on in a big way! “Jah” is a short form of the name for God. So you could say that this word is an extreme outburst of excitement about God. If you are feeling it, just take Psalm 150 and read through it, increasing your excitement with each verse!
Another Hebrew word for praise is ‘Yodah”. This is a gesture of throwing out one’s arms in celebration or confession. How does praise include confession? This extension of our arms indicates a need for God. We desire to be free from the burdens of sin. So our praise is in the knowledge that we are on this side of heaven. We are joyful! We are right with God! So daily, express your praise using posture with a song! If you are uncomfortable in the corporate setting of worship then do it when you are alone.
What does praise do? When we praise the King of Kings it takes our mind off of our problems and focuses on Him. Praise presses us to think more about God’s character as well as appreciating who He is. Finally, we are preparing our hearts - to receive God’s love and the power of His Holy Spirit.
David proclaimed in Psalm 145:1-2 that he would praise God every day! Pastor and author Bob Hostetler developed his own “praise program” for the 31 days of the calendar. Each day he focused on an attribute of God (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, etc.) You can develop Scripture-based sentences that acknowledge these attributes as you Praise Him! If you are going to praise Him daily, develop your own ‘praise program’. It may begin as a habit, but it will grow into a deep desire as you know Him more intimately!
I read a Newspring Church devotional recently that said “Because God is great in all things, we can praise Him in all ways. There is no limit to how, when, or where we can praise God.”
In summary:
Start and end your prayers with praise.
You can listen to hymns or sing songs of praise yourself.
You can express your praise using posture with songs or in your prayers!
Develop your own praise program and watch it become a deep desire to constantly praise Him.
One of my favorite praise songs is “Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings it in a very powerful way. I love this expression of praise: Holy is the Lord God Almighty, The Earth is Filled with Your Glory!!!
I praise and adore you, Lord, as the Holy One of Israel. You are my Redeemer, the God of all the earth!
Can you make praising God a daily part of your spiritual workout?
I invite you to listen in to my podcast "Praise Him" with Music Minister John McFadden. We talk about making praise part of our everyday spiritual workout. You can find the podcast on iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and Podbean. Here's a link: https://apple.co/2uq6AFP.Thanks for reading this post. I would greatly appreciate you sharing a link to the post with your friends and your network.
"His faithful love endures forever."
Until next time...
Chaplain Gray
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