Monday Morning Devotion-February 3, 2020

Praise

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Psalm 150:6

     What is praise?  The dictionary definition of praise is: "expressing warm approval or admiration of." 

            "Praise the Lord" is a common term, as a church-goer, I have heard all my life.  Obviously, praise is a good thing because we usually hear it used in a happy situation.  When something good has happened in our life or the life of someone we care about it is normal to feel thankful.  As a result, we offer up thanks and praise the One who is responsible for this good fortune°our Heavenly Father.   If we don't recognize where the good fortune settles on us from then shame on us. 

            There is power in praising the Lord.  Recently I saw this on Twitter placed there by a football coach.  My school, Florida State University, has a new head football coach, Mike Norvell.  Coach Norvell has hired a new coaching staff, with just a couple of holdovers from the previous football staff.  One the new ones is Coach Carlos Locklyn. 

            Coach Lock, as they call him, is the Director of High School Relations.  A few days ago, he posted (tweeted) this on Twitter:

The Power of Praise

                                    1.  Praise gets the focus off of you and onto God.

                                    2.  Praise makes room for God's blessings.

                                    3.  Praise pushes the worries of life into the background.

                                    4.  Praise reminds you of who God is and what He has done.

            So, praise is a good thing, right?  To understate the case, it absolutely is.  Looking

farther into the benefits of praising God I read this when I asked this question on the internet;

What happens when you praise God?

            "Praise brings God into the scene.  Praise opens the gates of Heaven and the doors of blessings.  Praise dissipates worry and dilutes concern and fear.  Praise tarnishes sadness and magnifies goodness."

            Obviously, it is important to praise God every day.  Starting your day by praising Him is a good way to get your day off on the right foot.  Then remembering to offer up random praises to the Lord throughout the day is icing on the cake.  How much should you praise Him?

Well, how much do you want to be blessed?

            We don't just praise Him, so we will be blessed in return, although we will.  We praise Him because He is worthy, and it helps us, as Coach Lock, wrote "get the focus off us and on God."

            Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own circumstances and problems that we lose sight of other things of importance.  How does that old saying go?  "A man who is all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package."

            Our scripture today from Psalms 150:6 is the last verse in the entire book of Psalms that is located in the middle of the Bible.  It is a collection of songs and verses filled with praises to God.  Psalm 9:2 says: "I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High."

            Psalms 18:3 says, "God is worthy of praise."  Psalm 21:13 "Be exalted in your strength, LORD; we will sing and praise your might. 

            The Bible points out that all God's creation praise him.  Psalm 148 says that even the sun, moon, stars, heavens, etc. praise him.  How can that be?

            Quest Study Bible says: "This is poetic language.  The heavens (sun, moon, stars)

are personified to paint a picture of God's control over all creation.  Though only humans can consciously and verbally express their praise to God, the rest of creation gives praise to God by being what he made it and commanded it to be."

            Then the final Psalm, #150, uses the word "praise" 13 times in only six verses closing with the command "let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

            Praise is special, it's important and it's necessary.  But how about worship?  How is that different from praise?  Looking again on the internet for the answer (www.legit.ng) we find:

            "In the Bible, Praise is usually presented as highly-spirited, joyful and uninhibited.  God asks all creation to Praise him.  Worship, on the other hand goes deeper than Praise.  Worship is something that comes from the spirit.  It is often said that Worship is an attitude or state of the heart."

            A few days after his first posting on Praise, Coach Lock posted this on Worship:

The Power of Daily Worship

                                    1)  Worship gives you a direct connection to God.

                                    2)   Worship changes your mood.

                                    3)  Worship is a daily relationship and not a daily ritual.

                                    4)  Worship gives you new revelations and insights.

            There are 144 verses in the Bible that mention praise and most treat it as a joyful recounting of all that God has done for us.  It is closely intertwined with Thanksgiving and we offer back to God appreciation for His mighty works on our behalf.

            "Worship, however, comes from a different place within our spirits.  Worship should be reserved for God alone.  Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another.  Praise can be a part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise.  To truly worship God, we must let go of our self-worship and willingly humble ourselves before God.  Worship is an attitude of the heart.  (www.gotquestions.org.praise/worship)

            So, praise Him every day for His goodness and His love.  Then Worship Him for His everlasting greatness and creation.

Prayer:  Father God, we praise you for everything good in our lives and worship you for who you are---Almighty God.   Amen.