Praise is the greatest work God’s children can ever do. Remember God’s name is exalted through praise. There is nothing a Christian can offer to God which surpasses praise.
The word of God states, the sacrifice of the wicked and the prayer of lawbreakers shall be an abomination (Prov 21:27, 28:9). Never does the word states praise is abominable. Now let us turn our meditation to the praise book of the Bible, Psalms. Here David says he prays 3 times a day but praises 7 times a day (Psa 55:17, Psa 119:164). Praise is also added to priestly functions. All matters related to worship, the tabernacle, the sacrifice, the priesthood are given in detail in the book of Exodus. The pattern shown to Moses is not subjected to any addition or subtraction. Yet years later, David and Solomon seemed to make changes in the priesthood. They appointed a great number of people to the work of praise unto God. This change was accepted by God.
PSALMS OF PRAISE
The book of Psalms is full of praise. The word shows the song composed by Moses after crossing the Red Sea in Exodus 15. This is also another song of praise. “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises (Exodus 15:11). Dear believers in Christ, for genuine Christians, praise is loudest and to the maximum when they are in distress.
NATURE OF PRAISE
Praise in its nature is sacrifice. The Bible gives a beautiful description of praise in Hebrews 13:15. “Let us offer sacrifice of praise to God”. What is sacrifice? Sacrifice involves death and loss. Similarly God wants men today to offer praises as if offering a sacrifice. In other words, He enables you to offer praises to Him by wounding you, grinding you and cutting you deeply. God’s throne is established in praise. Growing believers in Christ must learn to praise. After you have learnt to do so there will come a day when you cannot, still you have to continue praising God. Remember, the throne of God never changes. His name and His glory change not. Then your praise turn a sacrifice.
THE WAY TO VICTORY
When we praise satan must flee. Praise is something more efficient and necessary than prayer. Prayer is a battle but praise is victory. Praise is the spiritual warfare, praise is the shout of triumph. When Paul and Silas ‘prayed’, Notice the break of the verse here in Acts 16:25,26. When they sang praises, the results were great and viewable. Prayer may not always open but praise does. Prayer resides in the environment but praise over the environment. Prayer is bound by the thing but if we are brought by God beyond the prison and stocks, we should praise the name of God.
Dear believers in Christ, if you cannot pray, why not praise? Pray when you are able, praise always and when you cannot pray. The Lord has set a good example of praise in wartime in II Chr 20:20-22. When the people began to praise God, the Lord smote their enemies. See beloved people in Christ, here it is clear that victory is not due to fighting but praise.
Our faith in the Lord is feeble if we pray much but it is strengthened if we praise much. So we don’t have to fight even with our worldly enemies but just praise God. Psalms 106:12 says, the Israelites believed and sang praise after the sea swallowed up the Egyptians. We Christians should not be of the same heart. We should praise the Lord not after our foes flee away but before. Praise is the perfect knowledge of a Christian on the Lord.(Psa 50:23) “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me”.
