The Attitude of Praise
13. And it was so, that when they that bare the Ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
14. And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16. And as the Ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
2 Samuel 6:13-16
The Model of Praise
Most would agree that the Bible hero David, is a model of praise. When we think of the many psalms he wrote, the way he trusted God, and even in his short comings and sins, he offered praise to God. There were so many ways that he expressed his love for the Lord and there were many ways that he related to God. The Lord was his Shepherd. The Lord was his Light. The Lord was his Refuge. God was his Strength. The Lord was his Buckler and Shield. The Lord was his Battle Axe. The Lord was his High Tower. The Lord was his Shelter from the storm and rain. The list would go on and on as to how David related to God through his worship and has left us an example of how we should offer praise. The critical key is not that we look at worship as a technique and practice, but rather as an attitude that we have towards the Lord our God.
Offering praise as a response to God’s goodness is certainly admirable, but it is limited to a situation. What if God withholds His Hand to test our faith, how would we respond in those times? King David is a model for praise in those times of challenge. As a matter of fact, David learned to praise God when the Lord did not immediately bring his affliction to an end. There was a period of thirteen years that this man was living on the run from King Saul. At times, he was only a step away from death. Yet, those circumstances taught him how to praise God no matter what the outcome. How did he do it? It is my belief that David learned to praise God in order to escape from the tormenting thoughts of worry and defeat. Rather than giving in to defeat, David thought and verbalized the Goodness of God in the face of challenge. Praise is such a tremendous force in the life of a believer because it elevates us to another level above our fears. In his resolve to offer thanks and express his dependency on the Lord, David concluded, I will bless the Lord at all times, His Praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1.
There was something else that motivated David to praise the Lord that went beyond personal experiences. As a member of God’s chosen people, David was anointed to a position of leadership. In that position, he observed how the sacrifices were made and how many came to celebrate God’s blessing but had very little expression of joy and jubilation in their offering. He noted in one Psalm that Israel should serve the Lord with gladness; come before His Presence with singing … and enter His Gates with thanksgiving and into His Courts with praise. Psalm 100:2, 4. Since it wasn’t implemented, David decreed that Praise should be a critical component of worship in Israel. God’s people were to do more than bring the animal sacrifices and the grain offerings. God’s people were to go beyond presenting themselves to the Lord with a sense of obligation. God’s people were to respond to God not out of a sense of duty but respond to God with joy and praise. This tradition is still in practice in the corporate worship of the Church. We too are to enter God’s Presence with singing and enter His Courts with praise.
Yet, there is a third element to David’s praise that I am drawn to. By offering praise, David found a way of memorializing all his experiences by giving glory to God. Rather than looking at life as tragedies and triumphs, praise provided the platform to remember life from God’s perspective. Praise was the intent of bringing God near and holding on to His Eternal Truth. Praise was that basis of witnessing God in every experience of life. This attitude was expressed in the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to his home. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. It was this action that summarized King David’s attitude of praise.
Living a Life of Praise
More important than the method of praise is the attitude of praise. What is your intent when it comes to honoring and praising God? Does your life agree with what is being spoken with your lips? When those two elements agree, they represent a life of praise.
By bringing the Ark of the Covenant into his home, David was literally embracing the presence of God. So many times he had prayed to God for help and not once had the Lord turned him down. So rather than keeping the Ark at a distance, David wanted God to be near to him at all times because his desire was to offer praise at all times. To help us better understand the attitude of praise, there are five important things about praise that we need to remember and recall.
First, Praise is the spiritual receipt for answered prayer. Psalm 116:1, I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplication. What should be the automatic response to answered prayer? Praise is the response. It is the expression of gratitude and thanksgiving that should embrace the hearts of every worshipper of God. When you purchase something, you always keep the receipt as a reminder of where you got the merchandise, the date you received it, and the description of the item(s). Praise is the spiritual receipt that God gave us His blessing. Lest we soon forget or worst yet, if the devil should cause us to doubt, we offer praise for every answer to prayer.
Second in our list of important things about praise is that praise makes an inventory of the blessings of God. A hymn by Johnson Oatman encourages us to count God’s blessings even in times of despair. When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, and you are discouraged thinking all is lost … count your many blessings every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by … Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done … Count your blessings name them one by one, count your many blessings see what God has done. Praise helps you to remember where God brought you from. Praise recalls the many things God has done in your life. Give God praise and watch how the blessings number more than the obstacles.
The third element of praise is that it encourages us to follow the Lord. The 23rd Psalm is a wonderful discourse in following God as the Shepherd of our soul. Through praise we acknowledge God’s leadership. He leads me in the path of righteousness for His Name Sake … yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. As each of us makes our trek through life, we are following something or someone. You are either following your own will. You are following the path of others that will surely end in defeat. Or you are following the Lord. Each of those paths have a destination. Only one path guarantees that you will dwell in the House of the Lord. My advice is to offer God praise and follow His Path to Life.
Please note that David wanted God near to him. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. Where was the Ark prior to this? The Ark of the Covenant was taken to the house of Obed-Edom for fear when Uzza died for his act of irreverence against God. In a hasty attempt to simply scoop up the Ark and bring it to the City of David, the Levites did not follow God’s instructions in the Law. As a result, Uzza lost his life when he touched the Ark as he tried to sturdy it on a cart. So when they took the Ark to the home of Obed-Edom, God blessed that house and caused it to flourish. It was told to David, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he has because of the Ark of God.” David heard that report and decided that he wanted the ark at his home. This is a classic example of Praise as a witness of God’s Mercy and Kindness. When we testify to God’s favor through praise, that encourages others to try the Lord. Obed-Edom had to tell somebody about God’s blessing upon his house. Then the news spread through praise of God’s Goodness.
Lastly, praise is our offering to God. Praise is our gift to God for His gifts to us. That means we must not hold back our praise offering. This praise is not for the approval of certain people; it is our gift to God and not to men. As long as the praise is Biblical and comes from a pure heart, God will accept it. And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod … So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet … Michal, Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. Michal should have remembered that the praise was not about her nor was it addressed to her. It was David’s praise to God. Don’t apologize if your praise makes some people nervous because they don’t know your story.
Give your best praise to God for all the wonderful things He has done. If the Lord moves your heart to dance, then dance. If the Lord moves your heart to sing, then sing. If God moves you to cry, then cry for joy. Your attitude of praise should be to please God in every thing you do and for everything that He has done for you. Bless the Lord for the great things He has done.
Contemporary Gospel Music legend, Andre Crouch wrote a song entitled, My Tribute and it gives a summary of how wonderful it is to have an attitude of praise.
How can I say thanks for the things He has done for me.
Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your Love for me.
The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.
All that I have and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.
To God be the Glory. To God be the Glory.
To God be the Glory for the things He has done.