Praise! An Expression of Your Faith

By Pastor Jonathan Del Turco

Perhaps you have heard the saying that there are two times to praise the Lord—when you feel like it, and when you don’t. Any other time, you don’t have to praise Him. The implication is obvious; we are to praise the Lord at all times. This is certainly the message of the psalmist:
“I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praise” (Psalm 34:1 NLT).

Therefore, praise is to be an everyday part of your life. No matter what is happening—God is worthy of our praise all day, every day, no matter what kind of a day it is!
Let me give you four characteristics of praise:

1. Praise Puts God in First Place. Praise is always turning our attention from ourselves to God. It is remembering and recounting who He is and what He has done instead of wallowing in the mire of me, me, and me. Truly, we are incredibly self-centered people. Our first thought is always how something or someone is affecting us. Praise focuses our thoughts on His majesty and power and invites others to do the same. Instead of gazing at our own navel, we raise our eyes and our heart to see His face and to affirm again our awe of Him, our gratitude for His love and mercy, and our absolute dependence on Him.

2. Praise Flows From Our Friendship With God. People who praise God on a regular basis, do so because they have found the Lord to be so altogether lovely that they can’t stop thinking of Him and talking of Him. They have gotten close to Him to see His true nature and character, and they have found in Him more than anything they have ever hoped for.

The Psalmist understood God’s true nature and character when he said in Psalm 145:8, 9, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy, the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” It is easy to develop a friendship with someone like this. You see, you can not brag about someone you do not know, at least your bragging can not be truthful and sincere. Therefore, although praise may start with what you know about God, it must eventually progress to what you yourself have experienced of Him.

This is when praise becomes more than a chore or duty. You do not have to work up your praise because it automatically bubbles up from within you. He is your joy, your strength, your comfort, your peace. Your life is anchored in Him, and His goodness to you brings His Name to your thoughts and your lips repeatedly.

3. Praise Is a Conscious Choice. Praise is an act of your will, therefore, praise is not based on your emotions or feelings. You don’t have to feel great or even good or okay to praise the Lord. Despite the many things in your life that may seem to be wrong, praise is your conscious choice because you know that God is the answer to your problems. As long as He is in charge, things will get better. Your intimate fellowship with Him makes the difference. You can focus on what is right—God and His goodness to you - no matter what else is wrong.

Two scriptures come to mind when I think about praise as a conscious choice.
Psalm 54: 6 (NLT) says, “I will freely sacrifice to you; I will praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.” The second one is found in Hebrews 13:15 (Amp.), “Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His Name.”

You may not feel like praising Him and in truth, it may be quite difficult for you to look beyond the difficulties in your life. Yet, when you choose to open your lips and speak forth your adoration, gratitude and thanksgiving to God, you please Him. You can always give the Lord some sacrifice. No, you probably won’t bring God a lamb, or a sheep, or a goat as people did in the Old Testament. This does not free you, however, from the responsibility of bringing Him a gift when you come to worship Him. Praise from an obedient heart is the gift that pleases God the most. You may not have anything else to bring Him, but you can always give Him this “sacrifice of praise.”

4. Praise Is an Expression of Faith. James tells us “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17, NLT). Likewise, praise that is in the heart but not expressed is dead. Therefore, faith is the highest act of praise, and praise is the highest form of faith. Both are expressions of agreement with God. When you have faith, you hold to His promise no matter what you know to be true, despite the evidence to the contrary.

An attitude of faith in the midst of hard times is always at the core of sacrificial praise because it is based on the assurance that anything is possible with God. What may be impossible for man is not beyond the reaches of God simply because of who He is. So, praise that clings to who God is, rather than to what we human beings see or do, is a fundamental expression of faith. It is saying, “I don’t understand what is going on, or how this whole thing is going to end up, but I trust You. God, I know You will be faithful to me. You will never abandon me. I believe in You and Your word. You are my God and my Savior. All I have, am, and ever hope to be, is Yours.”

Such praise frees God to work in our lives. Praise fixed firmly upon faith opens the door for God to work for you, in you, and through you. It allows Him to handle all the things in your life that you cannot!