Praise is the plug
So I’m on this topic of Worship right. Like firstly how crazy am I to think I can encapsulate a whole lifestyle (because, come on, worship is an entire way of life) in a few measly blog posts. Anyway I have asked myself the question of what the difference is between praise and worship. I mean is it just the tempo of song or something more. And is there even a difference?
Well I was delving into this topic in the week and as an intro into what I want to write about let me tell you about some things I have discovered.
In last weeks post I said that worship is defined as an act of reverence and I further described it as an attitude. Now I know worship in the Christian and biblical context is way more vast and meaningful than my attempt at defining it but what I found out about the English word Worship is interesting. Worship derives from 2 words: weorth which is old English for Worth and Scipe(ship) which means quality. So worship is the quality of having Worth. So in essence when we worship something or someone we ascribe worth or value to that person or thing.
Praise is defined as expressing ones respect and gratitude towards or expressing approval or admiration. Biblically to praise God is to call attention to His Glory.
From these 2 definitions comes a common difference that many Christians hold: Praise is about God - applauding God for what he has done. And Worship is to God: honoring God for who He is.
I agree with the above but I think the lines are definitely not so clear. For instance I definitely think you can praise God for who He is. So in that sense praise and worship are almost extensions of each other.
Now to what I want to focus on in this post: Praise. Let’s firstly get in to the Word which is where I began my study on this topic.
When I think praise there is a stand out verse to me in Psalm 100 verse 4. It says “ Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him. Bless and praise His name”
So I’m going to focus on this verse because in true inspired by the Holy Spirit fashion a few things popped out to me. Firstly the entire Psalm is about being thankful to God and why we should praise Him so I encourage you to meditate on Psalm 100 for a while.
Secondly Praise and Thankfulness or Gratitude are closely connected: thanksgiving and praise are both repeated in this verse. And thirdly and maybe where I’ll start is that it says we must ENTER with thanksgiving and praise.
In the church I attend (and maybe many other churches) we start our services with a song of praise. I always thought churches just did this to kind of wake everyone up or because in general you just start with the more up-beat songs before the slow deep stuff... Little did I know there is actually a biblical principle at work here. We start off with praise on a Sunday because praise is a reminder to us about what God has done for us and ultimately a reminder of who He is.
Praise can change the atmosphere. I say this because that is what Gratitide does for me. When we start to focus on God: what He has done for us and who He is, it changes our perspective and changes the atmosphere. That is exactly what praise is. Praise is not just upbeat or loud and lively songs. Praise is thanking God for what He has done and who He is. Suddenly with our eyes fixed on God the worries of the world grow small.
Praise is a key that unlocks blessing. I feel like I’m quoting Chance the rapper here but think about it. I believe that God always wants to bless us, but even more than that God wants to transform us. God ultimately cares about our hearts. Praise is a way that we keep our hearts healthy. When we praise God there isn’t room for anger, doubt, fear to creep into our hearts because we become so grateful and have a greater awareness of who God is. If we know who God is we know who we are and that we are blessed, called, annointed, set apart... Loved. By praising God you create room to receive your blessings from God. So no wonder : “when the praises go up, the blessings come down”
When we praise we bless God. If it wasn’t enough that there are all these added benefits to praising it says in the Psalm that we must bless and praise his name. Imagine that; God the creator of the universe, who made Heaven and Earth, who sacrificed His only Son for you. Who not only saved you but redeemed you. And you have the ability to bless Him. Well if I knew nothing else about praise just that thought alone could inspire me to write a Psalm or 2.
In closing : Praise helps us enter sacred places. The psalm says we enter God’s courts and any where that God is, is Holy ground. Praise is the plug that connects us to the source of life. When we praise we enter His courts and convene with Him. How beautiful is that. No wonder a song could be written that says: Even when it hurts like hell, I’ll praise you.
