God is Awesome: How Praising God Helps You Get to the Top of that Hill
Is there a difference between praise and worship? I ask this because we often put these words together. We participate in praise and worship services at church. We search for praise and worship playlists on Spotify. We describe praise and worship as an awesome experience.
What does the word "praise" mean?
I like to focus on the word "praise" by itself. When used as a verb, the dictionary defines praise as "the expression of warm approval or admiration". When used as a noun, praise is "the expression of approval or admiration for someone or something." Praise in both grammatical forms is about expressing the outstanding quality or actions of a person or a thing, usually in the form of words. For me, worship is praise on musical steroids.
There are seven Hebrew words for praise but the one I personally like is hallal (pronounced haw-lal'). The definition of this word includes the phrase "...to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish(my emphasis added); to rave; causatively, to celebrate; " The idea of being clamorously foolish about God brings images of sports fans painting their bodies a team's color and standing shirtless in 20-degree weather to cheer them on. Hallal seems to encourage us to praise God without reservation.
We know how to praise; we do it all the time
Giving praise is not new to us. At work, on teams, and in families, we share words that describe our approval or admiration of others. In my workplace, we encourage praising team members as a regular part of team growth. In everyday conversations, you and I refer to celebrities and other prominent figures, identifying qualities they possess or activities they've done. Sometimes, we praise people automatically without realizing we're giving praise. It's a natural part of our human makeup.
But praising the Lord may be a bit difficult in a self-exaltation society. We excel in self-praise. Our social media is an unending mantra of “look at me”. But to be a light in the world, believers must position themselves on top of the hill by praising God. Our mantra is “Look at Him”. Our intimate connection to him causes us to say to him, “Look at You."
Take note of one thing, we honor, respect, and listen to what or whom we praise.
Praise gives God first-dom
Praising God without reservation, e.g., without looking to the left or right to see whose watching, devotes our attention to stating his amazing qualities, unmatched power, and outstanding deeds. Praising is ongoing, day-to-day, unlimited, and not restricted to worship services.
Praising God gives God "firstdom" in our life. Don't bother searching for this word in the dictionary. It came to me as I was crafting my thoughts for this article, but it is appropriate. Kingdom refers to leadership over a territory or area. In "firstdom", praising God gives him the first place spot over the territory of our lives. When God is first, we are in a position on top of the hill of life for our light to shine and bring glory to him.
How can we praise God?
I'll be putting memes of praise on social media for the 7 days t demonstrate how we praise God. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram or on my Facebook page. You can also join my Facebook group.
I also have free 21 Days of Praise guide on my website. Use this to spend a 21-day period devoted to praising God.
As you spend this time positioning yourself on top of the hill, get ready to shine your light.
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. [24] But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!’”
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT