A pig can oink; a bird can chirp; a cat meow; a horse can neigh. All of these sounds were given them by God to express or communicate desire, contentment, hunger, anxiety or such. These sounds were not designed by God to be praise. If animals can praise God, man is not aware of it. Only man was given the capability and desire to praise Him. Its primary purpose is to express love and adoration to Him; to magnify and exalt Him. We were designed by God – our heart, spirit and soul for praise. He could have designed us to say or speak praise, like we do prayers, but He didn’t. God designed us to sing praise. Maybe there is something about singing that goes deeper into our spirit than simply speaking. Maybe it’s because thoughts and adoration of God, require an overflowing of Godly passion that can only be given by our spirit. Certainly praise is more than sparkle.
Praise is verbal:
We can’t praise God silently – with our mouth shut. Praise is not praise – it’s something else – until it is vocalised, manifested, declared, shown forth. Psalm 66:8 states, “Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard.”
Praise is power:
Praise has a number of purposes and functions, one of which is that it is to be used as a weapon of His power; to proclaim His “excellencies.” 1 Peter 2:9
“Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” Psalm 21:13
Praise is demonstrated:
“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” Psalm 47:1 Praise is not restricted to the choir Sunday morning. God said, “all peoples,” clap your hands. We are not to praise God in our own, or as a feel good exercise. We are to praise Him according to His desires; for us, whether by voice or demonstration.
Praise recognizes enthronement:
Psalm 22:3 says, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Somehow our praises enhance or lift Him up. Praises then both exalt Him and vitalize us.
Praise allows entering:
How do we then exalt Him? We enter into His throne room with praise. Psalm 100:4 Can you ever imagine such an experience “enter His courts” – actually see Him! – only through praise!
High praise:
There is only one reference to “high praise” in the Bible. This phrase suggests that there are differing intensities or levels of praise. Perhaps “high praise” occurs when we join others in praise. Blending our praise with angels, cherubim, seraphim and saints gone before us must produce praise that is astounding in intensity and adoration. Isn’t that thought exciting?
By Gordon Kler