Praise is defined as the expression of respect and gratitude as an act of worship.
The first mention of the word in the Bible is found in Genesis 29:35. It is the Hebrew word yadah and it means (among other things) to revere or worship (with extended hands)'. It also means to give thanks. Several times in the book of Psalms we are enjoined to give thanks to God.

Let us analyze the English definition of the word as found in the opening paragraph in order to fully understand the meaning of the word.
It is an expression: to express means to convey or make known a thought or feeling. Our gesture or conduct expresses our thoughts. In praising God therefore, we are making something known to Him.
The main issue then is, what are we supposed to express to God in praises?
Is it our needs, sinfulness or request? No! When we praise God, we are supposed to express respect and gratitude to Him. Still analysing the definition of the word praise, let us look more closely at the words respect and gratitude.

Respect is a feeling of admiration for someone because of their qualities and achievements. We respect God because of His qualities, might, and above all His achievements.
Here are a few of them; He made the earth from nothing, causes the sun to shine on all men, He parted the red sea, He sent Jesus to die for our sins and free us from satan. He heals the sick, raises the dead, and shows the innocence of the righteous. The hopeless gets hope from Him, He is gracious, slow to anger and abiding in mercy.
Surely these are qualities that will earn anyone admiration. A proverb in my native Yoruba language says 'eni to o ba mo inu ro, a mo ope du' that is anyone who is thoughtful will be thankful. Respect and admiration for God would flow out of the person who can count his blessings from God.

Gratitude is the expression of appreciation, another word for it is thankfulness. It has its root in the Latin word gratus which means pleasing, thankful.
To show gratitude to God is to express thanks to Him, telling Him you are grateful for the things he's done for you.
Therefore, to praise God is to MAKE KNOWN TO HIM OUR ADMIRATION FOR HIS PERSONAL QUALITIES (RESPECT) AND THANKFULNESS FOR HIS ACTS (GRATITUDE) all done as an act of worship- obediently giving ourselves to Him.

Prayer and Praise

During times of fellowshipping with God, several things are done, among which are praises, praying and listening to God through His word. There is the tendency to confuse prayer with praises. To pray is to make a request and to praise is to give reverence.
It has been observed that both get interwoven during church services and personal devotions. There is nothing wrong in praising and praying at the same time. Nonetheless, we should still have it at the back of our mind that there is a very distinct difference between both.

Ways to praise God.

Since our words convey our thoughts, we offer praises to God mostly with words, spoken, sung or written. The Bible urges that the fruit of our lips should give thanks to God. Words like 'thank you, you are holy, I adore and appreciate you etc' convey our praises. We should also not forget the Hebrew word Hallelujah which means Praise God.

Praise is an expression, and we can use anything to make it known provided that the person at the receiving end understands what we are trying to convey. It follows then that we can praise God with anything or gesture that expresses the intensity of our adoration to Him.

We can sing to Him, clap for Him, dance, shout, roll on the floor, play on musical instruments, kneel, prostrate, recite poems, tell people about His acts in our lives (testimony), give to the needy and charities. The list is endless of the things we can do to show our reverence for our maker.
Among the Yoruba people of West Africa, one way to show admiration and respect is to prostrate for the person respected. Many people go an extra mile by rolling on the floor in front of the respected (My Mother does this a lot while giving God thanks). This practise of rolling on the ground is common place in many Nigerian churches.
It is recorded in 1st Chronicles 15:29 that King David praised God by leaping as in sport (Amplified Bible). 2nd Samuel 6:14 explains it better:
And David danced before the Lord with all his might...

The ultimate praise

In Old Testament times, praising God also involved offering animal sacrifices to him. In the present times however, the sacrifice of goats, rams, and birds are no longer required because Jesus' death and resurrection have abolished all animal sacrifices.

The ultimate sacrifice of praise that God requires from us is the offering of ourselves (our thoughts and conducts). We are told in the Bible to:
Present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to him, which is our reasonable act of worship.

A sacrifice is anything that is totally handed over to a higher person or cause. We are urged to give ourselves totally to God. This entails obeying Him in all he tells us to do.
A living sacrifice is a life that has been totally handed over to God. The highest form of worship we can give to God is the sacrifice of ourselves.

Praise the Lord
I will round up this piece with words of praise from Psalms 113 and also from the song Shout to the Lord © Hillsong Music Australia.

Psalms 113.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the lord from this time forth and forever
From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from the east to the west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God who has His seat on high,
Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!
[The Lord] raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap and the dung hill,
That He may sit them with princes, even with the princes of His people.
He makes the barren woman to be a home maker and a joyful mother of [spiritual] children. Praise The Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Shout to the Lord
Shout to the lord all the earth let us sing,
Power and majesty praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
at the sound of your name.
I sing for joy at the sound of your word.
Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand,
nothing compares to the promise I have in you.
Praise the Lord!

The scene is the same in churches all over. Every sunday people go to churches big and small, head to meetings in living rooms and nursing homes, jails, and many other places to hear someone preach the Word of God. in these meetings, they sing, they testify, they sit reverently or shout out "AMEN!" or "Hallelujah" in agreement and support of what the preacher is saying. The singers sing, the choirs and bands play. Each has their own way of doing their church thing. one thing that is common in just about all of them is the use of the phrases "Praise the Lord", "Praise God", "Praise Jesus". The preacher says something like "lets all praise the Lord.", and everybody gets out of their seats, raise their hands and begin to say, sing chant, and shout things like: "praise you Lord", "praise Jesus", "praise God", and so on. I have to admit that I always thought that this was somehow just a little silly and a whole lot robotic, but never said anything about it because it's something you're supposed to do. You don't question things like that without coming off sounding like an unbeliever who is trying to ridicule God's people and their ways. So I kept it to myself and just tried to go along with the program, telling myself that this was just the devil trying to put doubts and faithlessness in my mind. But no matter how hard I tried not to think about it, the question kept coming back to me "Why do we stand here repeating 'Praise God' like this?". recently, I decided to do what I should have done years ago...get out my bible and study what God says about the subject.

The first thing I did was get out websters unabridged dictionary and look up the word praise. I found two sets of definitions, as a verb, and as a noun:

PRAISE (v)
1. to value, to appraise; also to esteem; value; prize
2. to express approbation of; to laud; extol; commend; applaud
3. to win or gain praise or commendation
4. to glorify by homage and ascription of perfection. especially in song. to laud; magnify.

synonyms: eulogize, celebrate, glorify, magnify

PRAISE (n)
1. the act of praise, or state of being praised; commendation for worth or excellence; approval expressed; honor rendered because of excellence or worth.

2. the act of glorifying God or extolling God; worship, worship by song.

3. the object, subject, ground, or reason of praise.

synonyms: honor, applause, acclaim, commendation

The next thing I did was get out God's Word for windows and Quickverse 4.0 and found out that the word 'praise' appears in the king james version 248 times in 216 verses. This alone tells me that it's important because generaly the more something is mentioned in the bible, the more important it is.

Then I got out the strongs concordance and look up the hebrew and greek words that were translated praise.

In digesting all this, I cannot help but come to the conclusion that an awful lot of us have somehow missed the point...

For example, if my wife were to go out of her way to make
something for dinner that I really liked, and took the time and
trouble to make it just perfect, and I absolutely loved what she
made how would I praise her for that? Would I stand there
saying "Praise Lura, Praise Lura"? or when telling my friends
about it would I start saying "praise Lura, Praised be Lura's
cooking"? Of course not!! She and my friends to whom
I did this would likely think I was a little off. At best, she would
understand my intent, and wonder "Why doesn't he just tell me
how much he likes it?" and my friends would understand much
better if i were to tell them what she did for me, and how great it
was and how much I love her for doing that for me when she
didn't have to.

Likewise, when I see people saying "Praise God" and
"Praise Jesus" and the like, I can just picture God chuckling
and shaking his head saying "I really appreciate their intent,
their hearts are in the right place, but they just don't
understand what praise means."

Telling someone about something that God has done for you,
Bragging about how perfectly God has met your needs,
Telling God how much you love him,
Thanking him for what he's done for you, ETC

Things like this and more is what praising God is all about,
in song and in stories, testimony, witnessing, and
thanksgiving. After all, Christians are not just about being
in our own little corner off by ourselves. We are about
bringing as many people into the Kingdom as possible.
We are about telling people that God loves them, and wants
nothing less than the best for them by showing them what
He has done for us. The best praise is that which helps
someone come to the cross and give themselves to Jesus.
Standing in church repeating "Praise God" may express to God
how we feel, but it doesn't do much for the unsaved. But telling
them of the great and mighty things He has done for us is
another matter entirely... it can lead souls to salvation.
and it TRULY magifies God and gives him glory.

Take a few minutes to talk to God about it,
you'll be glad you did.

For more Bible Studies and Christian Blogging check out God's Topshelf

Today, I want to talk about a very important subject. The subject is important because
we’re all required to apply it. Im referring to praise. Its very important to realize that praise
should be a part of our lifestyles. We should always have a heart of praise. Praise can be defined as:
The act of expressing approval or admiration. The offering of grateful homage in words or songs, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God.
Praise is important because it lets the Lord know where we are in terms of reverence in our hearts.
Our hearts should always be centered on the Lord. I understand that a lot goes on around us, but we should never forget that praise pleases the Lord.
In the printed scriptural text, we find that the psalmist(David) informs us that we should give the Lord His due at all times.
Take a glance back at verse 1 of the scriptural text. Notice how the word reveals that at all times, we should be in bless/ praise mode.
Notice where the focus is in verse 1. Its on the Lord.
When should it be on Him? At all times!
How often? At all times!
I have learned that we often have a way of diverting the attention off of the Lord, where it should be, onto ourselves. We have to understand that when we put all of our focus on the Lord, He’ll begin to work out our situations. At which time, we’ll begin to see the manifestation of the Lord’s will unfold right before our very eyes. Verse 1 goes on to say: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. This includes, but not limited to, when you’re going through trials and tribulations on the job or in the home and so forth.
We shouldn’t have a heart to praise the Lord just to get something out of Him, but we’re to praise Him because of who He is. Often, this is where we tend to miss it. We’ll do something just to get something in return when it comes to the affairs of God. However, when we praise the Lord, we will be blessed as a result of our obedience and devotion. We just have to be sure that our motives are pure. Look back now at verses 2 and 3. Notice how, at first, David is saying “I” will and “my” soul. However, in verse 3, he says” let “us” exalt His name together. In other words, there’s a time for us to get our praise on individually then there’s a time for corporate praise.
At any rate, we should always be in praise mode. Another reason praise is so important is because we were made with a purpose. We were created to give glory to the Lord ‘through our lives.’
One tragic mistake man often make is when he fails to give glory to the Lord after an accomplishment.
We are nothing without the Lord. There’s a passage of scripture that helps validate that point.
It’s found in Phillipians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Many of you have heard or read that scripture before, but we have to instill it in our hearts. There’s a song that says” I cant make it -not one moment- without the Lord.” We cant! We’ll exist, but that’s about it. Its not beneficial just living and not being fruitful. We are suppose to bear fruit. We begin to bear fruit when we allow the Lord to use us and by doing what He has called to do. All of this goes back to our text , where it says: I will bless the Lord at all times. With that said, we not only give the Lord glory audibly, but we can glorify Him through our lifestyles as well. For example: Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:16,, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your {good works} and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Notice there how Jesus explains how ‘living’ by example glorifies God. So just imagine how powerful glorifying the Lord individually, collectively, and through our living could be. Verse 4 of the text explains that as a result of praise, the Lord delivers us from all of our fears. The writer, David, also says that the Lord “heard” him, when He called upon Him. How did He hear him? & Why did He give ear to him? Well it goes back to the first few verses. Praise. Praise. Praise.
Because David was a praise warrior and when it came down to having a need for deliverance, the Lord rescued him. A great deal of what we go through comes from a lack of praise.
Ask yourself: Am I doing enough with my life?
Am I truly doing all that I can to give glory to the Lord?
Do I have a bag full of good intentions?
Do I just sit around ‘hosting’ pitty parties all day?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, I would encourage you to begin making praise a part of your life. Your praise doesn’t have to be like the next person’s praise. It may be altogether different. However, the point is: we need to incorporate it as part of our lifestyle. Notice what type of results David received as a result of praise. He said that he sought the Lord, and He heard me! “The Lord heard me, ” David said. This reveals to us that the Lord doesn’t hear all prayers, but he hears the right ones. Additionally, he goes on to say that the delivered him from all fears.
The Lord will do the same thing for you as well, but the focus must shift off of you and onto Him. When we praise Him, as I said before, we divert all attention to Him. Thats what its all about. Verse 7 of the text reveals that we are divinely protected. It’s good to know that the Lord is working behind the scenes on our behalf. He cares for us and He makes sure we’re taken care of.
Should anything happen to you as a child of God, He’s aware of it. Nothing sneaks past the Lord. He cares for His own and verse 7 reveals that He has representatives working for the Lord on our behalf. They are angels. They have specific duties, as given by the Lord. Notice who the text says they encamps(encompass) around. They encamps around those that “fear” the Lord. The ones that have such a respect for the Lord that they dare to live any and every kind of way.
In closing, I encourage you to remember how important it is to live and respect the Lord through your life.
The more you do that, the more you would be able to understand verse 8 of our text. Im sure you have heard the cliche: “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” Well, if you live for Him, you’ll attest that this statement and verse 8 is indeed true without a shadow of a doubt. It’s one thing to hear something second and third hand, but it’s altogether different when you know for yourself.
I want to go on record myself to say that I’ve tasted of the goodness of the Lord and oh yeah,,,,He is indeed good! Have you tried Him? If not, I want to encourage you to do so today. Tomorrow is not promised. The first step in the process of your life of praise is to first give your life to Him.

Jesus gave His life, was resurrected, ascended into heaven, and is coming back again. God is good whether you praise Him or not, but if you praise Him as the text says,,at all times, you’ll begin to see Him move like never before in your lives. We have so much to be thankful for. It is my prayer that you be blessed, be encouraged, be prayerful, be constantly praising Him. May God bless you.
--RD
danielsreg@hotmail.com

I woke up this morning, eyes not yet opened but burning from yesterday's work. Hardly feeling refreshed at all, not feeling like facing the day -- I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. There's nothing wrong with sleep, but when it is time to wake up, it's time. My time had come. Still, I didn't want to move.

I opened my eyes. "What now, God? What will you have me do now? I spent the next half hour reading God's word. And this is what I read:

Isaiah 42:9-10
Isaiah 43:18-20
Psalm 33:5