A question was posed recently by a dear friend and that question was “How do I really praise God? What’s the best way I can do that so that God will be pleased with it?” And that is a fantastic question that is worth our consideration because God is worthy to be praised and because the Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people. (Psalm 22:3)
What makes it even better is that a question like that seeks to really get to the heart of praise and worship and to go beyond merely showing up and singing a hymn or listening to a Sunday morning sermon. True worship and true praise should be undertaken in all locations and at all times and our corporate worship services that take place in our churches and places of meeting should only be one small part of that process.
To really answer this question I think we need to have a better understanding of both who God is and what praise really means. God is the creator and God is the one who sustains all things by his power. All things were created by him and for his pleasure and he seeks a personal relationship with his creation. He wants us to get to know him and this is best expressed through the redemption story of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. God in the flesh stepped into his own creation and shed his own blood in order to make a way for us to be with him forever. What we could not do through our own power God did for us. He ever seeks to save that which is lost and to heal our sin-sick souls through his precious blood. Based on this it is fair to say that God is worthy of all that we have and all that we are because not only did he create all but he also paid the price for us and all of creation together. The vital truth here is that God is worthy and this his worthiness has been proved to us beyond all doubt.
Our praise to God then, should be based on our acknowledgement of his worth and in celebration of his attributes. In other words, however and whenever we acknowledge God’s worthiness we are in essence, praising him! If I go to him and ask him for wisdom and help with a difficult problem and then place my hope and trust in him for the answer I have effectively acknowledged him as my helper, my deliverer, my comforter, my teacher and the one who is best suited to solve whatever problem it happens to be. This is praise! Likewise if I look to the sunset or across a vast mountain range and say “wow, look at what God has made!” then that also is praise because I have acknowledged him as creator and celebrated in his creation. And so on it goes.
Real praise to God should not be mysterious and it should not be difficult for those who are born-again. Our God is so awesome and so vast that the closer we get to him and the more we discover about him the more we have to praise him for. Praise is always timely (there’s never a bad time to praise him!) and is always the right answer so long as it is honest and sincere. Even in such an act as confessing our sins and shortcomings to him we can praise him by acknowledging that he is the redeemer and he is the one who cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
True praise is really all about giving God what he is due with a heart that is turned towards him. It is an acknowledgement of who God is and who we are as a member of his awesome creation story. Let us not limit ourselves to just a few songs on Sunday or only to the times when we come together for corporate worship but let us take every opportunity to let God know that we know that he is worthy. That kind of praise will always be acceptable and pleasing to him.