The Benefits of Praise
1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Your Name, O Most High;
2. To show forth Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.
Psalm 92:1-2
Misunderstanding Praise
For something that is so simple, there are those who have problems with praise. There are those who think it is unnecessary. Praise is misunderstood. There are those who think that it is the way to get blessings from God. Praise is misunderstood. There are those who feel that praise is a duty and obligation. Again, praise is misunderstood. Then there are those who don’t care one way or the other about praise. Praise is misunderstood. For that reason we must ask the question: why do people praise God if they don’t understand what they are doing? A better question would be, how can I understand praise?
An example of misunderstanding praise is found in the expression of some, “if we don’t praise God, the rocks will cry out.” That phrase, like many Bible passages, has been taken out of context and used to shame people into praise. Certainly, no one wants a rock to give praise to God on their behalf, so many give praises out of obligation rather than genuine love. Let’s explore that phrase. First, who said that and why did they say it? Those words were spoken by Jesus and He was responding to the religious leaders who wanted the Disciples to cease giving praise Jesus as He entered the City of Jerusalem. See Luke 20:39. Jesus responded to them by saying, “if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Jesus did not say the stones would replace the praise of the Disciples, but rather, the stones themselves would cry out with their own worship and adoration of God. This brings us to the first benefit of praise. Praise is a holy reaction to the revelation of God. In this case the Disciples were bearing witness to something God had revealed. They realized that Jesus was the Messiah. The stones could not give praise for them but would rather express their own praise to God. No one can praise God for us. That is something we must do. Please understand that Jesus was not saying that a stone would replace you; the stones have their own praise.
Here is the point. Stones were used as monuments and to make a statement about something just by their presence. The stones are not silent even though their praise cannot be heard with the ear, their very presence speaks to the glory of God. Jesus was also referencing the fact that stones were a witness to the truth. There are many Bible references where stones were used as a “rock of witness.” The rocks are a witness of what God has done through the ages. They too testify to the glory of God Almighty as Creator, Sustainer, and Owner of everything.
The rocks do cry out, but they do not replace the praises of God’s people. Why? First, rocks are not made in the image of God. Second, rocks do not have mouths even though they do give praise. And third, rocks do not have a soul to save and therefore cannot shout about that experience. But we can and we must give praise to God.
In that verse, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders who wanted to rebuke the Disciples for their praise. Jesus was literally saying – you cannot stop praise when God has revealed His truth. You cannot stop praise when God shows up. You cannot stop praise because “it is a good thing to praise God and to give thanks to the Lord.” The rocks have their praise, but thank God, the Saints of God have their praise also.
Another misunderstanding of praise centers around the statement, “when praises go up – blessings come down.” I really don’t know where that came from. All I can say is that God decided He was going to bless you long before you decided you were going to give Him praise. You cannot and must not manipulate God with praise. Don’t manipulate Grace, because you will be tampering with something you have no authority over. What we need to do is reverse that phrase and say, “When blessings come down – the praises go up.” Now I am recognizing God. Now I am giving thanks to God. As a matter of fact, the blessing is not the focal point of praise, but rather God for sending His blessing. As one song says, “He blesses us over, and over, again.” If we are to receive the revelation of God, we must not use quid pro quo schemes to manipulate God. Just simply recognize that God is good all the time and praise Him.
What are the Praise Benefits?
It is truly amazing that everything we do to honor God has rewards. When we serve God, there are rewards; but we don’t serve God for the rewards. When we offer help to others in God’s Name, there are rewards; but we don’t help others just to be rewarded. When we praise God, it too has rewards; but we don’t praise God for the rewards. We praise God to recognize that He is God. It is all about our relationship with God and not the rewards. So what are the benefits to praise?
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Your Name, O Most High … To show forth Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. This hymn of the Sabbath that was written by Asaph and it provides a wonderful summary of praise benefits. First, we benefit from knowing and recognizing God. Then there is the benefit of rejoicing in the Lord that lifts the heart of the believer. Third there is the reassurance of God’s presence for the believer. Lastly, there is the rest from the Lord to the believer.
As a hymn of the Sabbath, it was sung either in route to the Temple or during worship at the temple, reminding the believer to recognize God and show gratitude for the amazing things that God has done. It was also a reminder that the praise belonged to God and no one else. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Psalm 92:4-5, shares the joy of God’s works. For You, Lord have made me glad through your works … O Lord, how great are your works. If the believer does not recognize God, who will? If the believer does not honor God, who will? If the believer does not praise God, do we expect that of those who have no knowledge of God. The Psalmist makes it clear that those with no understanding and the foolish don’t understand this. Psalm 92:6.
In the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-20, Jesus sent all ten to the Priest as a testimony to God’s power. While they were on their way, all ten were cleansed but only one returned to give thanks. Jesus asked the question, were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine … that returned to give glory to God, except this stranger. That one stranger recognized God as the source of blessing. That one stranger showed gratitude, but the others were ungrateful and went on their way. Praise recognizes the amazing work of God in the believer’s life. (In this case, the blessing came down and the praise went up.) For that reason, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.
The praise benefit is also found in singing praises to the Name of the Lord. Sing praises unto Your Name, O Most High. This benefit of rejoicing in the Lord lifts the heart of the believer. Singing expresses gladness and jubilation. Singing is an outward expression of inward happiness.
Civilla Martin and her husband traveled throughout the United States sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Word and song. Civilla’s husband would preach and she would arrange the music. On a visit to a bed-ridden friend, she was inspired to write the hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow” based on the passage in Matthew 10:29-31. The chorus is so amazing: “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free … His Eye is on the sparrow, I know He watches me.” What an expression of joy that fills the heart! We know that God is watching over His children.
The third praise benefit is the reassurance of God’s presence. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord … To show forth Your lovingkindness in the morning. None of us can foretell what a day will bring. As a result, many are filled with anxiety and fear at the dawning of each new day. This is not so with the child of God that offers prays. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, because when we do, we have the reassurance of God’s lovingkindness. The lovingkindness is God’s compassion or His tender mercies. God’s tender mercies, His loving-kindness, and His compassion never fail. We would never be aware of such compassion if we did not offer praise. With praise, we awaken the dawn with God’s Grace.
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord … To show forth Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night. The last thing we do at night when we retire is to give God thanks. There is rest for the believer because of God’s faithfulness. We are able to rest because we know that God is faithful to watch over His loved ones. We will praise God in the morning and we will praise Him when the sun goes down. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.
We might assume that people only praise God when things are going good or when there is something exciting happening in their life. While there is certainly justification to praise God for the good times, we can enjoy the benefits of praise even in the bad times. The psalms are filled with testimonies of struggle, hardship, enemies, hurts, wrongs, and even the experience of death. It was the praise that got those worshippers through the tough times and it is the same praise that will help you through your ordeals.
In closing, this week I read the testimony of a woman who was taken captive in a foreign country. Rather than give in to the fear of her captors, she was impressed by the Holy Spirit to start singing praises to God. As the songs of worship began to flow, she felt a calmness that only God could give. Eventually, her assailants released her, but not without hearing about her God and his miraculous power. The story does not end there, later, one of the men got saved and found the missionary to ask forgiveness, because he was now a believer. There are many more testimonies how praise has brought the Saints of God through dark times and at the same time, the praise has directed the lost to seek Christ. Never, ever stop praising God. Who knows, it will change things in ways that you never expected.