Tuesday: The Life of Praise
Praising the Lord might not be natural to us, even in good circumstances. Thus, how much more difficult to do it in bad ones? Yet, that is what we are called to do. Praise is something that we must practice until it changes from being an activity done at a particular time to an atmosphere in which we live. Praise shouldn’t so much be a specific act but a specific way of life itself.
Read Psalm 145:1-21. What are the reasons David gives for praising God? In what ways should the words of this psalm be your own?
Image © Stan Myers at Goodsalt.com
The great British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote a book called The Practice of Praise. It is based on verse 7 of today’s psalm. In this short verse, Spurgeon calls our attention to three important things that can help in developing praise in our lives.
- Praise is practiced as we look around us. If we do not look around us to see the greatness of God, we will have no reason to praise Him. What can you see in the created world that is praiseworthy, such as the beauty of God’s creation? What can you see in the spiritual world that is praiseworthy, such as the growing faith in a young Christian?
- Praise is practiced as we remember what we have seen. If we want to live in an atmosphere of praise, we must be able to recall the reason for it. In what ways can we remember the great things about God (such as by developing new rituals or symbols that remind us of His goodness), so that His goodness and the truth about Him does not slip from our minds?
- Praise is practiced as we talk about it. Praise is not something that we do in our heads. It is meant to come out of our mouths, to be heard by those around us. What reasons can you think of to praise God verbally? What will the effect of such praise be, and on whom?
| Take a pen and some paper and spend some time working through these three points. What can you do to develop the habit of praise in your life? |
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Jeremiah 12:5 How can we rejoice in God in our extreme heat if we are not able to praise Him in our least painful crucibles?
The Hebrew root word for 'praise' is halal (verb) and means to make more clear or shining by amplifying or 'spotlighting' focus both on and of that which is the subject/object of praise. It is along the lines of 'waking up' to discover something that is so incredibly valuable and worthwhile - way beyond what you had previously noticed - that you then can't help yourself from wanting others to also come to see that for themselves. You will likely need to reflect upon this a bit, because the full idea and experience of halal is not easy to convey in words.
Praise is something that flows from the recognition and appreciation of the worth and value of that which is being praised. As such, praise is not something that is based on feeling but rather on coming to, or rather being brought to, awareness.
Open the eyes of my heart Lord that I might be brought to see you more and more for who and all that you are. And as you bring me to see you more and more clearly, 'ignite' me to share and reflect that to others in praise. May I not only praise you in words, but even more so in the way I live and treat others. For you are infinitely worthy to be praised! (Psalm 150:1,2,6)
I normally write my Sabbath School Comment early in the morning but today I am writing it at 2:30pm. The last couple of days has been a technological crucible for me. My TV set developed an irreparable fault so I had to organise a replacement. Then one of the U3A computers that I care for fell apart. Then the worst nightmare of all. Overnight my main computer which I use to write Sabbath School Net comments and edit all my photos decided it was time to die. So, I have spent the day chasing my tail and organising repairs and replacements. It is going to take a while. Now I admit that these things are a frustrating inconvenience and not a serious spiritual challenge but it is these sorts of events that most of us have to put up with every day.
What am I supposed to say: "Praise the Lord, I have a challenge to face!" Praising the Lord is more than mouthing the words, and I am glad that the lesson title for today is "The Life of Praise". There is nothing wrong with the words, but for the words to have substance they must be built on a foundation of living praise.
Praise has to be practised. There are some folk who have bubbly personalities and create an atmosphere of happiness around them even in the direst of circumstances. Others of us are introverted and tongue-tied. Yet in our silence, we can find ways of praising God in our acts of kindness. Each of us can explore ways to praise God that suits our personalities.
At the moment, I am praising the Lord that I have more than one computer!
When a challenge comes I like to praise God for the opportunity to honor Him as I count on the Spirit for His guidance on how to behave in the situation I find myself facing. I also love His help as I walk through the problem. The chance to practice walking in Him is a jewel I grab with Thanksgiving.
...and praising the Lord that you have the knowledge that you have about computers. I would be so lost if that happened to me.
Maurice, that‘s a wise statement you quoted:
“Praise the Lord, I have a challenge to face“…
That‘s my principle of real faith when challenges of all sorts come about knowing that I’m are not completely self sufficient and need God in all areas of my life who will assist me to win battles and overcome obstacles.
This way praise becomes installed in my lifestyle.
Good to know your problem with the computer is resolved.
I am intrigued by the statement below from Spurgeon. Can anyone suggest some "rituals or symbols" that would help us remember?
What other ways are there to help us praise the LORD?
I have found frequently reading the Psalms of praise and even memorising some of them helpful.
I don't know if this would be a ritual, but I like to sing scripture verses set to music. This helps lift me up and reminds me of God's attributes. Every time a secular song comes into my mind, for instance after I hear something in the grocery store, I replace it with a scripture song, which helps me remember other scripture songs, hymns, or songs of praise and keeps God in the forefront of my mind. Psalm 9:2, Psalm 68:4-5, Isaiah 12:5, Acts 16:25.
A few symbols: Nature murals, photographs, books, and videos. Glow in the dark stars for the children's bedroom or the young at heart, and music... A ritual: go outside every night and meditate on the stars. Develop an attitude of awareness of God's creativity, His greatness. Always remember that you are meditating on the Creator and not the created.
Shirley, I am trying to be intentional about remembering God’s blessings by writing a note or story about a specific moment of joy, overcoming a difficulty, facing a fear, etc. Those memories remind me I have so much for which to praise our Good God! Sometimes those stories are sent as gifts to our grandchildren. That “Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.” Ps 78:34 NASB
Thank you Barbara for sharing, praise the LORD for inspiring you.
Praise God He gives me experiences to humble me. He sees something worthy enough in me to let me experience disappointments and hardships that I may learn to trust Him solely and not as a side bar option.
I praise God that He is a friend of sinners. And it's not the righteous He came to save, He came to rescue the least of His.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
God is worth to be praised all the time! No matter what happens to me, I should always praise Him! Because He is the One that gives me everything. There is no other God like Him, and everything else is trouble that I limitedly get involved. Although God's creation is perfect, my fallen choice has perverted it. That's why I HAVE to praise Him for His constant care for me! May His company lift me up, thus at least I can stand on the day He comes back!
I very much agree with the statement of the lesson writer: “Praise shouldn’t so much be a specific act but a specific way of life itself.” We want to reach a constant state of awareness of the appreciation and gratefulness coming from deep within the heart. Though it might be kept ‘in check’ until we worship Him in a formal setting, I am sure that many of us find ourselves easily exclaiming ‘praise God’ spontaneously even though not necessarily out loud. 😊
As I have observed, when worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, as we open the full chambers of our heart, we let the ‘praise’ flow out to Him and anyone who might be the intended or unintended observer or recipient of this overflowing of our heart’s thankfulness.
Especially when lifting my voice in praise through song, tears come to my eyes at times because He moves my spirit so deeply, causing me to recognize the re-creative power of His unconditional love for me.
Reflecting on what creates an attitude of praise, I want to re-emphasize to remember to stay humble and to always turn to being grateful for the grace and mercy the heavenly Father has revealed to us when He called out for us to follow Him.
I recognize Him as my Creator, Father, Lord and Savior and Spirit of Truth; the Holy Spirit. I do not think there to be anything more powerfully impressive then when spiritually 'recognizing' the Love of the Father received into a thankful heart.
God said that David was a man after his own heart. David spend most of his time with his Sheep but much more with his Harp. After years in the sheepherder's school of praise. Most of his life story is written in Psalms. Praise is quintessential to the Christian life style.
Now that we are still at peace, we need to practice to appreciate God's creation. As a youth, when I see a beautiful woman, how do I picture her? God's child whom Jesus died for or a lady who should be my partner? When I remember my part experience, do I cry and curse the events or do I praise God for letting me experience them? When I meet a brother and open my mouth and utter “oh praise the Lord” am I a witness for His praises or am I fulfilling the normal greeting? Paul prays for the sanctification of our whole being and that is life. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
We must praise through the good times and bad. Confuse the enemy and don't allow it to dwell in our thoughts to interfere with our praises. Praise for all He's done and praise in advance for what He's yet to do; let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.🙏
The lesson author refers to Charles Spurgeon writing that
I am hesitant to argue with such a spiritual giant, but I believe that praise is something we first do in our heads before it comes out of our mouths. For some of us, much of the time is spent in our own company, and there's no one to whom to speak praise, other than the Lord. Our companions would surely get tired of our verbal praise if we expressed it every time we have reason to do so - which is pretty much all the time.
Paul exhorts the Ephesian believers to "be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18-20) Singing, whether in our hearts or out loud is closely associated with prayer and praise. It is one natural way of praising the Lord.
When our hearts are filled with a spirit of praise, it will come out of our mouths quite naturally at appropriate occasions. We just need to get used to the idea that there are far more "appropriate times" than we are used to recognizing. 😊