Praise from the heart

One summer day I was out front tending my rock garden. A neighbor a few doors down the street spoke up and offered praise on the beauty of the flowers. Without any thought, I lifted my hand up in the air and wordlessly transferred the praise to God. Even though this woman is not a Christian, she lit up in a broad smile. We both know who makes the flowers grow.

This morning I’m reading Psalm 50. It depicts God as the righteous judge over His people, and describes true worship and the hypocrisy that some had committed. They were guilty of ritualism and rebellion and about half of this psalm is a warning from Him about their neglect and sin. The last two verses are about praise:

“Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver: whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50:22-23)

While praising God can be described as reciting His attributes, repeating what He has done, and giving thanks to Him for who He is and His grace toward us, I know from personal experience that even this can be done as ritual, almost mindlessly. I’ve sometimes found myself saying the words and thinking about something else, or telling someone of His goodness with a deadness and lack of appreciation in my own heart.

Praise is certainly doing the outward things, yet when I say the words or sing the songs, praise is more about what is happening on the inside. God sees my heart. He knows when His people are “faking it” and He knows when I am going through the motions.

As I think about this, praise isn’t too far away. I can sense that swelling up inside of an overwhelming delight in God, an impossible-to-contain joy in who He is, an excitement about what He does. It is not form or ritual, nor can it be scripted (although reading the Psalms helps to give it scaffolding).

However, there are days when this bubbling up praise is not there. I’ve had days when my heart is heavy with sorrow, when life is difficult, when it seems like God is absent or not doing anything. At these times I need that scaffolding of the praise in the Bible to help me lift up praise, but I also need a certain discipline, the discipline of sacrifice. I can offer God praise even when I don’t feel like it.

The Bible mentions this sacrifice in several places. Psalm 27:6 says, “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”

Hebrews 13:5 is my favorite. It comes after an exhortation to bear the reproaches of Christ during those times when being a Christian is not easy. It says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Praise pleases God and He is worthy of our praise, even when I don’t feel like it. Yet God is not selfishly bound up with needing it (like I can be or like many people are). Instead, He turns around and uses our praise to lift us up! When I praise God, my thoughts are turned from my woes to His love. I can push my concerns aside as I praise Him for His power and His ability to use those concerns for good.

No matter what is going on in my life, praise from the heart makes me remember once again that God is God. He cares for me and is able to answer all needs and work in all situations. If I didn’t feel the joy of who He is to begin with, sacrificial praise brings that overwhelming joy to my heart and causes me to acknowledge once again that God is utterly amazing!

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. (Psalm 147:1) Praise the Lord!