by Robert E. Waldron
One of the basic ideas in the word “praise” is to cause to shine. When we sing, describing the glory of God – we cause that glory to shine. Praise means to laud, to extol, to commend.
Once a youngster asked, “Why does God want to be bragged on?” This child thought praise sounds a lot like bragging. There is a world of difference. First, there is a great necessity for us to know God – to know His character and His mighty works. Without this knowledge we cannot have the proper relationship with Him. Also, other than the general ideas of power and deity (Romans 1:20), we can know nothing of God but what He reveals to us.
Parents who want their children to love them are not trying to get their children to brag on them, but there is a need to teach children gratitude and appreciation.
Second, we need to recognize how awesome this being called God is. Let me put it this way: praise and worship are the natural response of a soul face-to-face with the glory and majesty of God.
David the King was also referred to as the “sweet singer of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1). From his earliest days as a shepherd, music filled his heart, and the love of God filled his soul. In the great outdoors beneath the canopy of the firmament he feasted his eyes upon the work of God’s creation. “When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3). He who had seen the storms and had observed the ways of the wild animals could speak graphically of the Lord who “makes the clouds His chariots” and provides for the beast of the field.
In all the praises David wrote and sang of God, one thing stands clear: David praised a God he knew. God was David’s shepherd, his rock, his high tower. David had known the protecting power of God. Therefore, when his life hung by a thread he could say, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He answered me out of His holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustaineth me" (Psalm 3:4-5).
Not all singing is praise. When we do sing praise, we should praise sincerely with hearts filled with the knowledge of God. Our praise is but vain words if it is not in spirit and in truth. No one can properly extol God who has not done some meditating about God.
Songleaders should be highly aware of the power of singing to set the tone of worship. All the technical expertise in the world is useless if there is no fervor of heart. As with all positions of service, songleaders sometimes forget the one whom they are meaning to praise. Sometimes songleaders will worry more about their “performance” and their “position” as the songleader. It is impossible to praise God when one’s heart is so full of self.
The last five Psalms (146-150) all begin with “Hallelu-Jah.” This expression literally means “Praise ye the Lord.” Many of our songs have this word in them. These songs are particularly songs of praise. When we sing “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell,” or “Let ev’ry mountain, ev’ry hill peal forth in joyous lays” – we are extolling the majesty of God. “A mighty fortress is our God,” “Wonderful grace of Jesus,” and many more are songs that praise God. A song does not have to have the word “praise” in it to be classified as praise, but the idea must be there.
We need all sorts of songs: songs that thank God, songs that admonish, and songs that exhort. But there are many times when we need nothing more than to let our hearts leave this earthly scene and move heavenward with souls bursting with the admiration of God and let our voices sing forth blending with the wondrous song of heaven: “Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things” (Revelation 4:11).
~via “Christianity Magazine”, March 1985