PRAISE

“What is praise?” To praise something means to admire it for what it is or what it does. When we praise an Olympic winner we usually complement them and marvel in awe at their abilities and accomplishments. For most of us, Olympians and their feats are far, far beyond our abilities at any sport. Now multiply those differences by a billion and more and you have the difference between humans and God. When we see Him act in His perfect wisdom, unfailing love, and abundant goodness in our small lives, we can’t help but praise Him! Just as our response to an Olympian’s performance might be to give compliments, cheer them on, be inspired, and share our wonder with those around us, our response to the incredible actions of God in our lives and others should be to proclaim His goodness and wonder at His works.

Isn’t this the same thing as thanksgiving? We thank God for what He does just like we praise God for what He does? Yes, we do use these words interchangeably. But, specifically, praise is more admiration or approval of a person’s actions while thanksgiving is more gratitude toward someone for their kindness. We could say praise is more focused on the who behind the action and thanksgiving is more focused on the who being blessed.

There is another side to praise as well. A complicated side. To praise someone can also mean to approve of their actions. Think of a trial God is taking you through right now. Do you approve of His plan? There are a lot of deep theological topics this question should trigger such as God’s sovereignty, God’s desired will versus His planned will, the free will of man and his responsibility for sin, the depravity of the world, the goodness of God, and so many more topics. If God is loving and good but His plan allows for sin’s curse to ravage our planet with horrible things like murder, sex trafficking, and natural disasters, how could I possibly approve that plan? There are real answers in the Bible to these topics, but this post is not meant to answer these questions. Here is something we can quickly take away: to approve God’s plan in this world requires trust and the only way we can trust that God has a perfect plan is to know who He is.

…to approve God’s plan in this world requires trust and the only way we can trust that God has a perfect plan is to know who He is.

If you are struggling with the goodness of God and His sovereignty, you need look no further than His Word. In it we have a long record of God’s attributes including His faithfulness, mercy, grace, and sovereignty. The God we praise is not fallible and finite. He does not sin. He is perfect, holy, and just (Ps. 99:9). Remember those injustices we see in the world now? God is a righteous God and has promised He will come in his wrath and give pure justice to the wicked and depraved (Prov. 29:26, Is. 59:14-20). He is a merciful God who has provided us a way to be saved (Is. 30:18, Eph. 2:3-5). He is gracious by giving His Son Jesus Christ as the free gift we need to be redeemed (John 3:16). He is a faithful God who loves His people (1 Kings 8:23). He is the sustainer of the world, caring for all our needs (Luke 12:6-7)?

How do we praise God? Get to know Him through His Word. Spend time with Him in prayer. Then proclaim His Name through all the earth for He is worthy of our admiration.

RESOURCE: “Praise You In This Storm”