Oyin Oladipo
Praise is defined as the expression of respect and
gratitude as an act of worship.
The first mention of the word in the Bible is found in Genesis
29:35. It is the Hebrew word yadah and it means (among other things)
to'revere or worship (with extended hands)'. It also means to
give thanks. Several times in the book of Psalms we are give thanks
to God.
Let us analyse the English definition of the word as found in
the opening paragraph in order to fully understand the meaning
of the word.
It is an expression: to express is to convey
or make known a thought or feeling. Our gesture or conduct expresses
our thoughts. In praising God therefore, we are making something
known to Him.
The main issue then is, what are we supposed to express to God
in praises?
Is it our needs, sinfulness or request? No! In praising God, we
are supposed to express respect and gratitude to Him. Still analysing
the definition of the word praise, let us look more closely at
the words respect and gratitude.
Respect is a feeling of admiration for someone
because of their qualities and achievements. We respect God because
of His qualities, might, and above all His achievements.
Here are a few of them ; He made the earth from nothing, causes
the sun to shine on all men, He parted the red sea, He sent Jesus
to die for our sins and free us from satan. He heals the sick,
raises the dead, proves the innocence of the righeous. The hopeless
gets hope from Him, He is gracious, slow to anger and abiding
in mercy.
Surely these are qualities that will earn anyone admiration. A
proverb in my native yoruba language says 'eni to o ba mo inu
ro, a mo ope du' that is anyone who is thoughtful wil be thankful.
Respect and admiration for God would flow out of the person who
can count his blessings from God.
Gratitude is the expression of appreciation,
another word for it is thankfulness. it has its root in the latin
word gratus which means pleasing, thankful.
To show grtitude to God is to express your thanks to Him, telling
Him you ar grateful for the things he's done for you.
Therefore, to praise God is to MAKE KNOWN TO HIM OUR ADMIRATION
FOR HIS PERSONAL QUALITIES (RESPECT) AND THANKFULNESS FOR HIS
ACTS (GRATITUDE). All done as an act of worship- obediently giving
ourselves to Him.
Prayer and Praise
During times of fellowshiping with God, several things are done,
among which are praises, praying and listening to God through
His word and our heart. There is the tendency to confuse prayer
with praises. To pray is to make a request and to praise is to
give reverence.
It has been observed that both get interwoven during church services
and personal devotions. There is nothing wrong in praising and
praying at the same time. Nonetheless, we should still have it
at the back of our mind that there is a very distinct difference
between both.
Ways to praise God
Since our words convey our thoughts, we offer praises to God mostly
with words, either spoken, sung or written. The Bible urges that
the fruit of our lips should give thanks to God. Words like 'thank
you, You are holy, I adore and appreciate you etc' convey our praises.
We should also not forget the hebrew word Hallelujah which means
Praise God.
Praise is an expression, and we can use anything to make it known
provided that the person at the recieveng end understands what we
are trying to say. It follows then that we can praise God with anything
or gesture that expresses the intensity of our adoration to Him.
We can sing to Him, clap for Him, dance, shout, roll on the floor,
play on musical instruments, kneel, prostrate, recite poems, tell
people about His acts in our lives (testimony), give to the needy
and charities. the list is endless of the things we can do to show
our reverence for our maker.
Among the Yoruba people of West Africa, one way to
show admiration and respect is to prostrate for the person respected.
Many people go an extra mile by rolling on the floor in front of
the respected (My Mother does this a lot while giving God thanks).
this practise of rolling on the ground is common place in many Nigerian
churches.
It is recorded in 1st Chronicles 15:29 that King David
praised God by leaping as in sport (Amplified Bible). 2nd Samuel
6:14 explains it better:
And David danced before the Lord with all his might...
The ultimate praise
In the Old Testament times, praising God also involved offering
animal sacrifices to him. In this present times however, the sacrifice
of goats, rams, and birds are no longer required because Jesus'
death and resurrection has abolished all animal sacrifices.
The ultimate sacrifice of praise that God requires from us is ourselves
(our thoughts and conducts). We are told in the Bible to:
Present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable
to him, which is our reasonable acts of worship.
A sacrifice is something that is totally handed over to a higher
person or cause. We are urged to give ourselves totally to God.
This entails obeying Him in all he tells us to do.
A living sacrifice is a life that has been totally handed over to
God. The highest form of worship we can give to God is the sacrifice
of ourselves.
Praise the Lord
I will round up this piece with words of praise from Psalms 113
and also from the song Shout to the Lord © Hillsong Music Australia.
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the lord from this time forth and forever
From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from the
east to the west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God who has His seat on high,
Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!
[The Lord] raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from
the ash heap and the dung hill,
That He may sit them with princes, even with the princes of His
people.
He makes the barren woman to be a home maker and a joyful mother
of [spiritual] children. Praise The Lord!(Hallelujah!)
Shout to the Lord
Shout to the lord all the earth let us sing,
Power and majesty praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of your name.
I sing for joy at the sound of your word.
Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in you.
Praise the Lord!
Oyinlade Abitogun
13th January 2006.