Praise

A Praise of David: I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great [is] the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness [is] unsearchable. (Psalms 145:1-3 NKJV)

Praise provides some answers to three questions. 1. Who is man? 2. Who God is? 3. What is the relationship between God and man?

Who is man except a creature? Truly, he is a magnificent creature created in the image of God, and given dominion over the earth. However, he is still a creature, now a fallen creature driven by the sinful desires of the flesh. Like swine wallowing in filth, man loves to be covered with sin. His wickedness is only governed by his sense of self –preservation. If you remove the consequences inflicted by society, utter chaos would ensue.

God is not like man, but far beyond what man can even conceive. He is perfect in love and righteousness. He is without spot or blemish. He exists from eternity past to eternity future. With a word, He spoke creation into being creating everything from nothing. He is an all-powerful King to whom homage must be paid.

A true praise issues from a heart that understands the relationship between God and man. Praise acknowledges man’s dependence upon God. A heart that praises knows that without the love of God an eternal damnation awaits. A heart that praises sees righteousness in God alone. A heart that praises does so knowing that the separation between God and man has been bridged by the blood of Jesus Christ the Righteous.

Unless you have been born again, born from above, you cannot really understand praise because praise stems from understanding. Praise is an expression of great joy by one who has been set free from the bondage of sin and death.

When is the last time you praised God?