Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him

Praise.  A simple word, really. In human context it evokes an im­age of the warm glow which spreads from our face to our toes when someone notices and appre­ciates our efforts.

Praise can spruce up one's sagging esteem more effectively than a shopping spree, a success­ful diet, or a met deadline. We love genuine praise and with good reason. It tells us we are loved. It says who we are is im­portant and that we make a dif­ference in this world, i t reassures us that our work or choices have value, not only in our estimation (a fragile appraisal at times), but also in the eyes of others. Praise validates that part of us which is productive, creative, lovely. It can surprise us into an aware­ness of self we hadn't seen, through the eyes of another's perception of our gifts, skills, and attributes.

Lately I have been pondering praise. I know how receiving praise affects me (I get the most delicious warm fuzziest), and I am aware that I have innumer­able opportunities to bestow the gift of praise on others. It pains me to think how many joys I di­verted by silence. But what I've been mulling over specifically has to do with God.

You see, we are called to praise Him. Over and over—urged, reminded, commanded, invited. Throughout Scripture it is demonstrated, modeled by countless fellow believers like David, Hannah, Mary, Paul, Noah, and Elizabeth. We are to praise God at all times, under all circumstances, with all our being. If that sounds like a tall order, bear in mind this life is, after all, a prep school for the one to come, in which we will each be special­ists in praise.

Just a simple study on praise opens endless vistas of informa­tion. There are, by my count, 284 references to praise in the concor­dance. And the texts are found in 31 of the 66 books of the Bible. From sheer numbers alone, we can conclude this subject is one God cared deeply about teaching us.

Examples of praise include thanksgiving, psalms, confession, commendation, glory, and excel­lency.

Did you know there were so many kinds of praise? Or, for that matter, that there are so many rea­sons to praise? To bless or declare blessed, stretch out the hand, con­fess, glorify or sing.

In only a brief study on praise, one's mind is filled with reasons to praise God and a variety of ways to do so. Take a concordance for a moment and look up a few texts in one small section on praise. Read the words of each verse aloud and let them travel back into the recesses of your mind. Do they not touch a spark of wonder and elicit a new sense of direction for thanksgiving?

Take for example, a random text, Isaiah 63:7 (NIV), "I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel."

How that jogs one's memory of personal kindnesses and deeds God has shared! It stirs us to come to Him in thanksgiving for such memories. In a chain reaction, faith is ener­gized by recognition of God's providence in the past. What tremendous benefits praise offers!

From the beginning of time, song has cap­tured our deepest emo­tions and raised our highest expressions of worship. From the angel's adora­tion to the lisping notes of a toddler's first song, melody has played a role in offered praise to our Creator. Most of us love mu­sic. When we raise our voices in song around the house, in the shower, as we garden or fold the clothes, these notes offer our simple homage to Him who loves us.

I once was a house guest in the home of a woman who cooked, cleaned up after, and gen­erally cared for as many as a dozen people at a time. Despite the ensuing stress of uneven schedules, an incessantly ringing phone, personality conflicts and huge work load, Lois often broke into song while kneading bread or scrubbing the bathroom. She hummed while washing dishes and whistled as she vacuumed. One day I asked her how she could be so cheerful under the cir­cumstances. "I just think about Jesus and how much He loves me, and my singing keeps me focused on Him. It's my way of expressing love. It keeps me happy most of the time."

There are as many things to praise God for as there are people on this planet. We customarily thank Him for His protection, mercy, compassion, and the myriad provisions He makes for us. We are thankful for His death on the cross, and grateful He is our intercessor in Heaven. What else can we appreciate and revere Him for? How about for His sense of humor, awesome mind, atten­tion to detail, unchangeableness, fairness, healing love, exquisite use of beauty, perfect timing.

Stretch your imagination.

There mustbe dozens of ideas you can add to this short list. We rarely contemplate broadening our praise list!

Now, let's be frank for a mo­ment. Say this article on praise has come to your attention during a particularly tough time. Your husband is under serious flak from one of his churches for what is perceived as weak leadership. Your daughter is failing Algebra, has a crush on a boy four years older, and has shut you out emo­tionally. You just learned your mother has been hospitalized for CAT scans and a series of diagnostic procedures. Pressure at work has been building for weeks. Prayer is much like breakfast these days —experienced on the run, when you have it all. And in the midst of all this, you are reminded not to for­get to praise God! For what? you might ask.

Good question. Did you ever feel like growling or wailing in the midst of your troubles when someone brightly said, "Your car was totalled? Praise the Lord! He must have a reason .. " Okay, maybe it was something far less traumatic, but you get the point. I remember thinking at the height of such a season in my life, "Hey, isn't it hypocritical to praise God under such circum­stances? Thanks for allowing me to feel this pain? I praise You for complicating my life ... " What I felt toward God and His cheery servant was far removed from praise.

But herein lies the mystery, and dare I say, magic of praise.

For it is precisely in the process of praising our King that change begins. We are to exalt God; He deserves our adoration. We are to praise for it gradually changes our focus from our anxiety and stress to His majesty and loveli­ness. He invites us to join our voices to the unnumbered chorus, notbecause He needs our particu­lar brand of praise to complete His symphony, but to unlock the gifts contained for us in such an act of worship. In the same way a crying child's sobs are turned to absorbed wonder as a parent opens a coat pocket to reveal something special, our frustra­tions and fears are forgotten in the captivating process of revering our Father.