So many of the psalms urge us to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise (Ps 100:4, Ps 146:1-2), but we don’t always stop to consider the many benefits of praise, perhaps because we associate praise with feelings of exuberance and joy, and we don’t always feel that way when we come into God’s presence! To praise God means to express gratitude or admiration for Him, and He commands praise not because He is narcissistic or vain, but because He is worthy of praise.
Praising God is important because…
- it restores perspective to us. We praise God for His acts of power and His surpassing greatness (Ps 150:2) and are reminded of who He is and who we are (‘Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Ps 100:3)) Life is a lot easier when we get these fundamental relationships right!
- it leads us into God’s presence (Ps 22:3) where there are blessings for evermore (Ps 16:11, Ps 67:5-6)
- it paves the way for God’s Holy Spirit to move in miraculous power (see Acts 16:25-26, 2 Chron 20:21-23)
- it is a spiritual weapon (Ps 149:6-9)
- it is the pathway to joy and spiritual refreshment (Neh 8:10, Ps 16:11)
