Why do we have to praise the Lord?

One of the concepts some people struggle with when they encounter Christianity is why we need to spend so much time praising and worshipping God. Is he some sort of narcissist? Or is he simply so deserving of praise that those who know him cannot help but respond that way?

We believe it’s the latter, so here are seven reasons to get your praise on today:

1. The Bible tells us to. There are lots of verses we could use here, but Hebrews 13:15 is a good one: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” We’re to praise him even when it’s a sacrifice (of ourselves and our time) to do so.
2. It brings us into his presence. In Psalm 100:4, the psalmist tells us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name”. Thanksgiving gets us in through the gate, while praise takes us directly into his courts.
3. He is worthy of praise! Psalm 145:3 says: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” You only have to go out into the wild and gaze on the beauty of nature or reflect back over your life and consider all the amazing things he has done to remind yourself of this.
4. He draws near to us when we praise him. Different versions of Psalm 22:3 give us slightly a different take on the famous ‘God inhabits our praises’ concept, but the idea is that he is enthroned by our praise; that he dwells in our worship and draws closer to us when we are totally focused on lifting him up.
5. It can be fun! Psalm 150 is all about praise; about trumpets and cymbals and dancing. Praise doesn’t have to be dull or dismal – it should be an active and joyful expression of our gratitude to an incredible God. Psalm 98:4 says: “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.”
6. Praise can turn situations around. Think of the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Rather than focusing on the battle, he made praise his priority. And what happened? Victory ensued!
7. Our praise makes him known to all the world. In 1 Chronicles 16:7-9, David instructs his men to praise him: “Give praise to the Lord,  proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.”

If you’re struggling with the concept of praise, try actually doing it… or just listen to others praising if you can’t bring yourself to go there just yet. Once you find yourself in an atmosphere of praise, you may find that you are open to the idea of it after all. Start by turning up the volume as you listen to Premier Praise!