We understand the value of gratitude because it is talked about so often. Many non-believers in our culture talk about the “healing power of gratitude” and are dedicated to regularly giving thanks. Americans know that a posture of thankfulness helps us feel happier and more at peace. But there is another practice that may have an even more powerful impact on our emotions, anxiety, and overall mental health: PRAISE. Do we understand the value of praise? Do we practice it?
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you depressed within me? Hope in God! For I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God!” Psalm 42:5.
The psalmist repeats this verse twice more on the same page, in Psalm 42:11 and Psalm 43:5. The Bible says the cure for depression and despair is praise. Put your hope in God and spend some time praising him.[1]
That’s what praise is, after all. It is not a feeling. It is not some Christian-candle aromatherapy situation.
Praise is something you do.
Praise is not sitting by a warm fire with a cup of coffee and a good book. It is not some kind of a bubble-bath feeling with smooth jazz playing in the background. Praise is hard work! But it is work that makes a difference. Just as giving thanks means actively thinking and talking to God about specific things for which we are thankful, so also praise means actively thinking and talking to God about himself and his amazing traits.
Praise is telling God how great he is.
And doing that serves to remind you of his greatness. If you are worried, for example, and you spend three minutes talking to God about his power over the entire universe, when those three minutes end, you will be noticeably less anxious. Praise requires you to talk to God about his amazing qualities. But the one who benefits most is not God but you! Praise can turn your entire mental outlook around.
Consider the war in Ukraine. We have friends who have been missionaries there for thirty years—and unlike many missionaries and foreign aid workers, they did not leave Ukraine when Russia invaded. I cannot imagine what they face each day. But God is the God of peace. There are words in the book of Psalms that we can use to praise God during war—and those words provide hope.
“For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise thy name forever” Psalm 44:6-8.
Can you see the way praising God can give courage to one who fears? But you don’t just read the words—you say them to God.
Praise is me telling God how great he is.
I use these words to have a conversation with God about his attributes. I give God praise and God gives me peace.
Consider war again:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea … He makes wars to cease unto the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations and I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:1-2,9-10.
Imagine reading these lines to God, or better yet, memorizing them and praying them to the Lord. That is the essence of praise, and it can bring peace during a storm. And what if you are not in a storm? Even when all’s well, we should praise God.
When I was a child, I was taught to pray using five-points drawn on a hand. We would trace our hand, cut the drawing out with scissors, and write one word on each finger: 1)Praise, 2)Thanksgiving, 3)Confession, 4)Intercession (for Others), and 5)Petitions (for Me).*
When your prayer begins with praise and you are not in the midst of war, you might begin this way:
“O clap your hands, all ye people. Shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible [awesome]. He is a great King over all the earth” Psalm 47:1-2.
Do you see the way praise can bring a person joy, hope, and mental well-being? Talking to God about these truths give us peace, reminding us that God is on his throne and he is taking care of everything!
A cliché is a phrase heard so often, it has lost its original impact. One churchy phrase that has lost its original impact is “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised” Psalm 48:1. What does the second clause mean: “greatly to be praised”? This is inverted grammar in which the you is understood. A modern translator might phrase it: The Lord is great and is to be praised greatly by you. The next time you hear the verse, make a mental note to thumbtack the missing words to the end of the verse:
“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised [by you!]” Psalm 48:1.
God tells us to praise him. Psalm 150 begins “Praise God in his sanctuary,” and goes on to command praise twelve times in only six verses.
Even Jesus begins his model prayer by praising his Father in heaven: hallowed be thy name. Begin today using praise in your prayers. Talk to God about his attributes. Make praise part of your daily life. It will bless you greatly.
AΩ
[1] Some cases of depression require a physician’s care and are best treated with medication. There is no shame in having a problem with your brain chemistry any more than there is shame over illness in another part of the body. Follow your doctor’s orders: take the pills and get better! But add thanksgiving and praise to your regimen.
- A good acrostic for prayer is ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.
Household Words: 