Throughout the psalms, the psalmist sings his (her) praise to God while calling us to join the chorus of praise.
Praising God is an act of worship. It is a response of the heart to who God is. Authentic praise is who we are at the core of our being responding to who God is at the core of God’s being.
Praise is laced with emotion. It involves gratitude and thanksgiving, but goes beyond them to a sense of wonder and awe. It often is tied to being overwhelmed with a sense of God’s love. It, in turn, expresses our own love for God. Consequently, praise is commonly expressed in music, song, and dancing.
In the psalms, praise is commonly linked with thanksgiving. The two go together, but they are different.
Thanksgiving focuses upon what we have received because of God’s goodness. It is a response to what God has done. At its core, thanksgiving tends to be self-focused. It is about me—my wants, my needs, my wellbeing, my enjoyment, my comfort. Consider the things we name when we talk about being thankful: family, health, the good things we enjoy (i.e., wealth and affluence), the country in which we live. All are things that benefit us.
By contrast, praise focuses upon God. It recognizes and responds to who God is at the core of God’s being. Praise sees beyond the gifts God has given to the love from which those gifts came. It recognizes the gifts point beyond themselves to something greater—to who God is. By focusing on who God is, praise lifts us beyond the self-seeking, self-serving, what’s-in-it-for-me nature that often hijacks thanksgiving.
We can cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving by being intentional about naming and giving thanks for God’s gifts. We become thankful by giving thanks. Similarly, giving thanks helps us to cultivate a spirit of praise. Giving thanks trains us to see beyond the gift to the hand giving the gift. It leads us to recognize and respond to the love that gives so generously and freely. Giving thanks teaches us to recognize and value the Giver more than the gift. It paves the way to praise.
We open the door to praise when our focus shifts from the things for which we are commonly thankful—family, health, the good things we enjoy (i.e., wealth and affluence), the country in which we live—to how our lives are different because of the grace of God. What in my life can only be understood as the result of God’s grace at work, transforming my heart and mind? The answer to that question is a reminder that we are God’s beloved children, claimed by God’s grace in Christ Jesus. Our answer points to the steadfast, faithful love of God that never gives up on us or abandons us. It reminds us of the self-giving, servant nature of God out of which such love flows. Naming God’s transforming work in our lives cultivates within us a spirit of praise—a response of our heart to who God is and to what God has done in our lives.
Let me be clear: God does not need our praise. Praising God benefits us, not God. As we praise God, our hearts begin to be captivated by a love for God—for God’s servant nature, for God’s ways of self-giving, servant love. Praise trains us to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Matthew 22:34-40).
During this Thanksgiving
season, may our thanksgiving lead us to praise!
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