The Power in Praise {Psalm 145}

~ Psalm 145

Praise means “to commend, to applaud or magnify.” For the believer, our praise to God is an expression of our worship, lifting-up and glorifying the Lord. But I've recently discovered it's so much more than that! And I cannot wait to share all I've discovered!

I will exalt You, my God, O King, and [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will bless Your name forever and ever.- Psalm 145:1 

Praise and thanksgiving go hand and hand in our conversation with The Lord, though each are very different, and knowing this difference can help us to experience the Lord in a more significant way.

A few weeks ago I wrote on giving thanks and described my prayer sandwich I discovered in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. (You can read all about it here)

  In Hebrews 13:15, the writer encourages us to "offer up a sacrifice of praise" and somehow I've always looked upon that verse as though I was doing The Lord a favor by taking a moment to praise Him. It seems rather silly just writing that, but that's how I interpreted that verse in my mind.

Barnes explains it this way:

 The sacrifice of praise - For all the mercies of redemption. The Jews, says Rosenmuller (Alte u. neue Morgenland, in loc.), had a species of offerings which they called "peace-offerings, or friendship-offerings." They were designed not to produce peace or friendship with God, but to preserve it. Burnt-offerings, sin-offerings, and trespass-offerings, were all on account of transgression, and were designed to remove transgression. But in their peace-offerings, the offerer was regarded as one who stood in the relation of a friend with God, and the oblation was a sign of thankful acknowledgment for favors received. (emphasis mine)

Every day I will bless You and lovingly praise You;
Yes, [with awe-inspired reverence] I will praise Your name forever and ever. 
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,And His greatness is [so vast and profound as to be] unsearchable [incomprehensible to man].-Psalm 145:2-3

When we praise the Lord, we praise Him for who He is (His attributes) and what He’s done. For example, we can praise Him for redeeming us through His death on the cross, for His resurrection from the dead, and for ascending to heaven. We can praise Him for He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. 

To thank the Lord is to thank Him for the things that He has personally done for us, or provided. Thanksgiving takes on a more personal note. 

I will give thanks to you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths from the realm of the dead. -Psalm 86:12-13 

Can you see the difference?

Rejoice always
Unceasingly pray,
 In everything give thanks; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Here is why our petition need to be wrapped around Praise and Thanksgiving!

A sample prayer following 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Lord, I praise You for who You are and for what You’ve done. You are Omnipotent- Almighty God! All things are possible for You! You are Omniscient (all knowing); absolutely nothing takes you by surprise! You look carefully after each and every little detail and nothing escapes Your notice! You have proven Yourself over and over to me and I know I can once again trust you with this small matter. Lord God, I know You hear my pleas; You know the longings my heart; therefore I'll will set this here once more before You and thank You once more for lovingly listening to my impassioned plea. Father, I know You have acted on my behalf in this matter before, and You can be trusted to do it again, therefore I will give You thanks and wait on Your perfect timing to act once more! Amen.

By praising in this way, we gain God's perspective on the situation, and we see the Lord for who He really is. We speak truth to our anxious heart and embolden our hearts once more with faith. We take our eyes off ourselves, and look away unto Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and we gain the strength and confidence, knowing that our prayer has been heard and He will act.

I used to be one who sought to get straight to the point. Simply seeking to give Him my list of needs, but there aren't adequate words to explain how just the three commands in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 have revolutionized my prayers and my walk with Him.

I want to encourage you to begin speaking truth to your heart wrapping your petition with praise and thanksgiving and see if it will make all the difference in your walk as well.

Blessings,
Sue