The Art of Worship. Fred Bittner
away millions of dollars to philanthropic causes. On the other hand, many who call themselves Christians don’t even support their church, let alone do good for others and share what they have. So what’s the point? The point is that all fruitful giving and all doing of good must spring from a life of praise. So what is praise?
The phrase “Praise and Worship” was printed in our church bulletins for years. It was almost like the two words were synonyms, meaning essentially the same thing. While we may praise as we worship, and we may even worship as we praise, the two concepts are uniquely different.
We use a form of praise all of the time. We praise our children when they do something good. We praise their character, good grades on an assignment, or a game well played. We may praise our employees, or hope to receive praise from the boss. We even praise our animals when they perform a trick or do something that makes us happy. We use praise all the time.
We also desire to receive praise. We value praise. It affects our attitude, and work. Parents who withhold praise affect a child’s sense of self-worth clear into adulthood.
If praise is important in shaping who we are, then it is a fair assumption that praise is also important in shaping our spiritual lives. In fact, we are called to live a life of praise to our Lord.
But, what is praise? Perhaps a definition from the dictionary will help us understand praise.
Praise:
the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God.
the state of being approved or admired. 10
We praise in two basic ways: directly and indirectly. When we express admiration to God and extol his qualities, we are praising him directly. If we tell others about God and magnify his name in our conversation, we are praising God indirectly. What is important in praise is that the two must agree. If I praise my wife directly, and complain about her indirectly to others, then my praise has no value. If I say nice things to my boss, but undermine him to others, my praise is worthless. In the book of Galatians, Paul confronted Cephas (Peter) for living among the Gentiles and agreeing with them, but then turning his back on them when the Jewish Christians came around. He was praising the Gentile believers directly, but rejecting them indirectly. Paul was not willing to let that go unnoticed.
How many times do our actions look like those of Peter? We say nice things to friends and then criticize them when their backs are turned. We praise our families and then act as if they are a burden to us. We worship and praise God, but in public we make no mention of God until we are angry (and what we say then is anything but praise). Do our lives cancel out what we do in church?
Notice that praise is by nature external. It is expressed through celebration and exhilaration. When we are praising something we sing, shout, talk about the object of our praise, share it with others, clap, and dance. It is an external response to an internal feeling or change. Praise, like faith, requires action.
Praise must be heard aloud. Psalm 66:8 confirms this: “Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad.” We find another good example of this in Isaiah 40:9: “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news. Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news. Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God!”
Praise is not based on our feelings, but on the greatness of God, which never changes. We may feel terrible today, but God is still God. Therefore, we will praise him. To that extent, praise is a test of the will. Is our praise based solely on how we feel or what he has done for us lately? Is our praise based on being swept away by the enthusiasm of others? Psalm 42:5–6 seems to be a call to praise when we feel bad. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him.” Notice that the author is saying that by expressing his hope aloud he shall restore praise. In the next verse, he speaks the words of his praise: “O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan, and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” His praise was honest; he wasn’t feeling very good about things. So rather than focusing on the present, he would remember the past. Since God does not change, he can focus on the past and know that what God has done before he will certainly do again. That knowledge alone marks the return of praise.
Praise should be expressed in a corporate setting. The final song in the book of Psalms says,
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150)
Praise is important because God is enthroned in our praise. Psalm 22 is another of those psalms where the writer is not feeling like he should be offering praise. In fact, he begins with, “Why have you forgotten me?” This is pretty deep, and it expresses the way that we might feel during certain circumstances of life. But the psalmist knew that God was God whether he felt like it or not, so in verse 3 he says, “Yet, Thou art Holy, O thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” When we struggle and are down we are tempted to turn away from God, but deliberate praise on our part keeps God on the throne of our lives.
Praise is important because it has positive benefits. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High: to declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness at night” (Psalm 92:1–2). “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely” (Psalm 135:3). Science is recognizing the connection between being positive and physical recovery. Laugh therapy is being prescribed for chronic pain. Praise puts us in the frame of mind to receive God’s blessing.
Praise is important because it reminds us of the statement, “It is not about me.” “We can’t really praise God without being thankful for the thing we are praising him for. And we cannot really be thankful unless we believe that an omnipotent, loving Father is working for our good. Otherwise, we sound like the words from the classic movie Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street, where Natalie Wood’s character, Susan, states, “I believe . . . I believe . . . It’s silly, but I believe.” Merely going through the motions does not make our words praise. Praise must be accompanied by conviction. Praising him, then, involves gratitude and joy that God is keeping his word to work good through everything if we love him.”11 Our praise is not based on where we are now, but on where God is taking us on the other side of the present situation.
Finally, praise is important because we were created for the very purpose of praising God. “The people whom I formed for Myself, will declare My praise” (Isaiah 43:21). Peter tells us that as chosen people, God’s possession, we are called to declare his praise into the darkness (1 Peter 2:9). This is important because God has declared that he will win the world through us. If we fail to do that which we were created to do, then we are not doing our part in God’s appointed plan.
So what does praise look like? No prescribed formula makes up praise. Lifting our hands is spoken of often through the Psalms. 1 Timothy 2:8 gives us a New Testament indication that praise includes lifted hands. “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath or dissension.” Clapping in worship was mentioned in Psalm 47.
Praise was demonstrated most often in the standing position, but it was also done while kneeling and while prostrate, or lying flat on one’s face. Most