Praise

I taught on praise as a part of our Worship Life series this past Sunday. Just as the meaning of the word ‘worship’ implies a certain physical and emotional posture – bowed and surrendered before God – the word praise carries similar implications. As I mentioned on Palm Sunday, there are seven different words for praise in the ancient Hebrew, and four of them deal with the use of the hands:

• 1. Lifting our hands high to God in praise
• 2. Holding our hands with palms facing upward in prayer to receive a blessing
• 3. Reaching out with our hands to praise God by serving others
• 4. Using our hands to make music in praise of God, clapping included

It is easy to see that when we consider praising God, our words and deeds matter. The Bible certainly gives us clarity as we consider the connection between how we use our words and our hands in praise to God through our Worship Life: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3.17)

The reason I looked at the concept of praise in the Hebrew is because of a very poignant verse found in Psalm 22.3: “The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.” I found myself convicted as I thought about my own Worship Life. How often has God inhabited my words? How often has God inhabited my deeds? Am I using my words and my hands to praise Him? Am I living my entire life in worshipful praise of who God is and what God has done for me in Christ Jesus? How about you? Living the Worship Life means that we seek to praise God with our words, deeds, and very lives!

The Worship Life series has been very helpful in critically exploring how we are living for God. The topics we have explored thus far are: individual and corporate worship, prayer, generosity, and praise. We are not finished with this series, though, because we have two more very meaningful installments as we get ready for Easter. Tomorrow we will celebrate Maundy Thursday with our message, Feasting, commemorating Jesus’ Last Supper and the gift of Holy Communion as a means to remember what Christ did for us. Then on Good Friday, we will consider a life of Faith as our final installment in The Worship Life, commemorating Jesus’ death on the cross to pay the ultimate penalty for humanity’s sinfulness.

Have a great rest of the week, using your words, your hands, and your entire life to give praise to God for what He has done for us in Christ Jesus!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...
(1 Peter 1:3)