Praise Him

by Brandy Webb

1 Hallelujah!

Praise God in His sanctuary.

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;

praise Him for His excellent greatness.

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

praise Him with the harp and lyre.

4 Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;

praise Him with the strings and flute.

5 Praise Him with clashing cymbals;

praise Him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Hallelujah! (Psalm 150:1-6)

For a while now a point keeps going through my mind: “Just praise Him.” My family and I have had many trials over the past year and a half, which has a tendency to distract me from praising God. I realize this fact, thus the whole point of “just praise Him” keeps looping in my brain. I am grateful for this thought because it is helping me to become more diligent and proactive in praising God no matter the circumstances, and isn’t that exactly what we are supposed to do.

16 Rejoice at all times. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not extinguish the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19)

These small scriptures have an impactful message to convey. As followers of Christ, we are to be joyful prayer warriors who are thankful in all situations in life, and if we live by this we will not “extinguish the Spirit” within us. In other words, living this way will allow the Spirit to increase within us. I see it as these character traits are like rain and sun on a plant. Those two things aid the plant to grow. Whereas being joyful, praying continuously, and giving thanks help God’s Spirit to grow inside us.

So, how well are we doing in the praise department? When we come to services are we invigorated like David was when he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-14)? Now, I do not want us all dancing in just a linen ephod, but I think it would be awesome if we had that same enthusiasm as David. When we join together in worship we are coming before God, and all of us basically have little “arks of the covenant” inside our very souls. So, are we coming to God with hearts full of joy ready to praise Him like David?

Think about this fact: In David’s time, there were 288 singers and musicians whose job was to praise God in “the house of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 25:1-7). I believe God enjoys it when we praise Him with song, with joy, with enthusiasm, and any other time. I also believe that when we choose to praise Him when we are hurting, we are in effect giving him a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 50).

I know it is not always easy to praise in pain, but when we do, it helps us look past the pain. I also feel that it ignites God’s Spirit inside us, which enables it to comfort us in the pain. The truth is, we have a lot to praise God for. One major point is the fact that we have the opportunity of eternal life with Him because of Christ’s sacrifice for us. This life is not all there is, and that fact alone should inspire us to praise. We may not all be great singers and musicians, but that shouldn’t stop us from praising God. I believe that it is our responsibility to make it a point to praise God, especially when we come together in worship. It was the musicians that lead Israel’s army (2 Chronicles 20:21). Why? Because music and praise inspire people. Services aren’t just about hearing a message. It is about fellowship, worship, praise, edifying each other, etc. We all have our roles to play, so let praise be one of them.