“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).
PRAISE GOD
Praise is a normal part of life; we see it in lots of places if we care to look. What Christians do when praising God isn’t odd; it fits into life, as we know it.
Praise is all around us; we hear it often and in many places. The teacher praises the student whose essay achieves good marks, a boyfriend praises his girlfriend on her resplendent appearance, and the parent praises the child for good behaviour. We praise footballers, hairdressers, and chefs. We even praise our dogs when they go and wait by the door rather than leaving a puddle by the couch.
Praise is a part of life and usually appears in the happier moments: when a goal has been scored, when we leave the hairdresser’s looking good, or are pleasantly full after an evening meal.
Some people, deists as they are called (there are a lot of them about, although they may not be aware of their name), wonder why we have to praise God. “Can’t we believe in Him without having to adore and praise Him,” they ask? Or, “Surely God doesn’t need our praise!” Benjamin Franklin, himself a deist, said, “I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it.”
The Bible tends to disagree with Benjamin Franklin, though it is fair to say that God doesn’t need our praise. But is it we who need to praise Him? God has no needs; we have plenty, and one of them is our need to praise. For us to be completely human, made in God’s image as He intended us to be, praise ought to be a part of our life.
Praise has an important role in the framework that makes us human. But it is a need that some people are hesitant to admit. An alien from outer space would be forgiven for thinking it is humans who need the praise. We love to receive it but are sometimes reluctant to give it.
When we praise God we stand in our rightful place, recognising that it’s not us who is great but God.
When we praise we take on humility, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Rom 12:3). “Give praise to the LORD” (Isa 12:4).
Those who follow Christ recognise that it is Christ who is far above us all, he stands tall and deserves to be praised. And woe to us if we fail to praise.
As Jesus made his way to Jerusalem the people were shouting, “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” Jesus replied, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:38–40).
So we take our place in the great congregation who cry out, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Rev 5:13).