There Is More to Our Praise
There Is More Series by Pastor Kent Munsey
Praise the Lord. [a]
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
Psalms 113:1-3
1.) Praise is our created purpose
To praise someone or something is to ascribe value or worth. God is worthy of our praise.
Praise should be part of our everyday lives. Praise is more than a Sunday practice or when we
escape calamity. If God didn’t do anything else, what he’s already done is more than enough. We are purposed to praise. We were created to give honor and glory to God. God created us and just that thought alone is enough to ascribe value and worth to him, for creating the heavens and the earth, oxygen, the animals, and creating us in his own image. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalms 139:4
2.) Praise should be continual not contingent.
David said, ‘Psalm 34:1 that “I will bless the lord at all time. His praise will continually be in my
mouth.” David wrote this scripture in the lowest moment of his life. When David wrote this, this was not after he defeated Goliath, it was not after he was crowned king, rather, it was in the lowest moment of David’s life. He was outlawed by Saul and he had to pretend to be mentally insane while he was on the run in a neighboring country. He is on the run with nothing and no one and he writes this psalm in the middle of that. “We can always find a reason to praise. Situations change for better or for worse, but Gods worth never changes.” - Matt Redman
3.) Praise is confrontational.
It’s hard to praise when you’re overwhelmed or hurting. Praise forces you to confront the reality
of what you really feel. In Genesis 44, we see Joseph is second in command of all of Egypt. He had to deal with terrible pain- from the pit to slavery, betrayal and prison. His brothers came looking for grace and mercy but they didn’t recognize him. Joseph tested them and they were faced with punishment but Judah stepped up to plead their case and accept the punishment on behalf of his brothers. Judah means praise. Praise confronts situations. Decide today to praise through your pain than hide in your hurt. You can Heal in your Hallelujah. The moment that you begin to ascribe worth and value to God, you been to give value to what he is doing and what he is allowing. You can either hide in your pain or heal in his presence. We know that when the praises go up, the glory comes down.
4.) Praise is a catalyst for change in our own lives
Praise confronts our wounds, fears, disappointments and doubts. Praise becomes a catalyst for
change. What we are experiencing isn’t the whole story. Praising God everyday produces
supernatural change. When Paul and Silas were in prison, singing and praising God. The other prisoners were listening to them. Their praises produced supernatural power that set them free. No only them but also those who listened.
Discussion/Reflection Questions:
- Do you believe that you were created for praise? Is it enough to know that you were created and purposed by Jesus?
- Do you praise Jesus continually? Or is it contingent on what you are going through? How can you praise in the midst of the pain?
- How do you relate to Joseph? Have you ever been faced with praise in the middle of your struggle? How does praise help to confront you in those moments?
- How has praise been a catalyst in your life? Have you been in places where the praise of those around you has affected you? How can this impact our lives and how we view what is going on around us?