What is Praise?

I had another song ‘revelation’ today…a song I’ve heard multiple times, and then all of a sudden, one day a verse sticks out to me so strongly. The song, by Elevation Worship, is simply titled “Praise.” In its potential, there is nothing simple about praise, but in its meaning and application, praise is pretty straight forward. 

So, what is praise? The dictionary defines praise as “an expression of thanks to or love for God; to glorify God or a saint.” Seems easy enough, right? But there is SO much more to praise than just singing a few songs in church on Sunday. In the song, the verse that caught my attention was, “I'll praise when outnumbered, praise when surrounded, ‘cause praise is the water my enemies drown in.” Praise, in all its beautiful, melodic harmony, is a weapon to take down the enemy…a WEAPON!  

In 2 Chronicles, we read about King Jehosaphat preparing his men for an attack. He told them to pray, fast and praise God. As they proceeded onto the battle field, they sang, “Give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever.” In chapter 2, vs. 22-23 it says, “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other.” Praise confused the enemies to the point they attacked their own until they were all destroyed.  

If you’ve never thought of praise as a weapon, maybe it’s time to shift your focus from “just singing another song” to “wanting the power of praise to transform your relationship with the Father.” Prayer and praise both invite God into our situations, right where He wants to be. Praise gives Him the glory and honor He deserves and tells Him that we love Him, and how thankful we are for His faithfulness. That all sounds like the “simple” part of praise, but think of Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?” When we invite God into our lives on every level, that means He’s on our side, ready to take on any enemy we come against. That may be one of those verses you’ve memorized, but have never truly thought of its magnitude; NOTHING…NO ONE can come against you; you’re surrounded by angel armies, there to fight your battles for you. There is NOTHING simple about that!