Praise

"Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel." Psalm 22:3 (NLT)

Praise...

If I say "God I praise You" and nothing else in connection with that statement ... did I just praise Him, or did I simply make reference to a thing that I might have performed previously?...

What happens when we actually give praise to God?...

"The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the LORD with these words: “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. "The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple of God."  2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NLT)

 The word praise has two forms. One form of the word is a verb - an action and the other, in simple terms, is a noun - referring to a thing. To help show the distinction, let me offer a personal example: 

"Lord God You are the righteous ruler of all that exists, the Creator God who creates wonders from nothing, the Lord who bestows grace on all of mankind to exist and to breathe - let alone all of the multitude of other graces that You have bestowed on Him. Master, You are nothing less than awesomely awesome! No one compares to you!" 

Those words are actual praise. To actually say them to Him, or similar expression, is an action of the word "praise". It's the actual doing - a verb.

If I were to say "God I praise You", I'm merely describing an act - a thing,... it's not the actual doing. In a sense, it's a lazy application of the word at times used by some in substitution for the active form - the form - the one that God is most worthy of and the action that He both desires and deserves to hear coming from His children. That use of the noun in substitution for the verb may well deprive US of something immeasurably more awesome as well.

"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy." Psalm 65:5-8 (NLT)

The distinction between the uses of the word praise that I cited above is significant in my opinion. One use of the word lacks the exercise of our intent, the other invites the powerful and potentially life changing intimacy of His presence as shown in the example of 2 Chronicles that I quoted above. One pays lip service, the other engages in actual relationship and opens the door to the possibility of an unforgettable encounter with All Holy God and provides us with an opportunity to remind ourselves of who God is as we exalt His true and unchanging attributes and deeds. 

"His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?" Daniel 4:34-35 (NLT)

There's a distinct difference for us between just using the word and exercising it with our God ... and His ears know that difference. He's made me personally very conscious of it by surrounding me with the presence of the Holy Spirit when I've engaged in praising Him from a sincere heart and am simply in the act of stating the unchanging truth about Him.

A wise mentor from my past once told me that when going to prayer - to have a conversation with our God, it's important to invite Him to that conversation by enthroning Him in praise. It serves two purposes: 1. We force ourselves to set aside everything else and remind ourselves of the majesty, power and fullness of who it is that we're about to engage with -  putting Him where He belongs on the throne of our heart and mind. 2. His presence is drawn to our heartfelt and sincere praise to be there with us in a palpable way that has life changing implications.

Without any exageration I tell you that the exercise has changed my life. My personal experience with Him has been long and amazing - when I've actually made the effort to engage with Him sincerely in relationship and He's never failed to amaze me when I have. In view of all that He is, at the very least, we owe Him active, sincere praise for who He is, for what He does, for what He's done, for what He's blessed us with, for how He loves us, for what He supplies us with, for His protection from the enemy, for all of creation, for redeeming us, for what He's promised, for ... ... the list is seemingly endless.

True active praise is our simple, but powerful, offering on the alter of relationship with our God and it's something that every parent desires to hear from their child. When offered up to The Lord, it draws our Perfect Father close... and has the power to change things - including us, His children, as we experience the power and wonder of His presence and we draw near to Him. In the act of praising Him, at the same time, as our own ears hear the truth proclaimed from our mouths, the truth becomes more firmly established in our own hearts and in that act of praising Him, we also become beneficiaries of giving Our God His due.

Our use of the word praise matters. Used in one form it draws little response, if any, since it merely denotes a thing. Used in it's active form, in truth and with sincerity, praise becomes a living offering that has the power to touch the heart of The God Of All Creation - connecting our hearts with His as we speak the truth in humility to our Father...

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them." Psalm 103:8-18 (NKJ)

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)