by Laura Springer, M.Div., Th.M., Ph.D.
Key Passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 40:5; 150:1-6; Malachi 11:10; Colossians 3:16-17; Revelation 5:6-10
Key Idea: Praise is our description of God proclaimed for his glory in ways that build up fellow believers and point outsiders to him.
Musical praise is great, but it is not enough. Bands and choirs, drums and organs are some of the tools we use to praise God together. But if we make any one of them a requirement, we are missing the most important thing about praise. Praise is declaring and displaying the truth about God so that others might see his glory and praise him now and forever.
We praise God to bring him glory. Praise describes God to God for his glory. It is an intimate and awe-filled proclamation of our love and respect for him, sometimes in words and always in action. Praise is our duty as priests, for his greatness and love compel us. It is our joy because God has given us more than we can describe. Because we take praise seriously, we spend time in his presence, enjoying his Word and talking with him about life. We praise him when we are gathered and when we are alone. We praise him when we are going about our daily lives and when we are learning about him as we study his Word together.
We praise God to build up fellow believers. Praise describes God before our fellow believers so all might grow to love and serve him better. It declares what we know to be true about God from our study of Scripture. It models love for God across generations and cultures, across styles and preferences. It shapes how we see and treat one another. It helps bind us together as God’s family, sisters and brothers working together to carry out our priestly sacrifices of praise.
We praise God to point outsiders to Jesus. Praise displays God's grace and goodness before outsiders so they might give him glory. It declares the truth about God in regular words and displays God’s greatness in regular actions. Praise uses character, emotion, and action to form a setting in which outsiders might turn toward God and hear the good news of Jesus.
Praise does not need a band, though bands are great. It does not need a choir, though choirs are great. Praise has one basic ingredient: our love for God. Our love for him is our response to his love for us, and praise is our decision to show that love through trust and obedience. It is our ongoing decision to be his priests and to carry our sacrifices of praise into his presence whenever and wherever. It is seeing the universe and its people as the creation of our glorious God and living out that glory in every action and word.
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