Everyday Praise: Why Praise God?

We are people who naturally express our praise. Over the past week I found myself singing praise at quite a variety of things.   I sang the praise of the smiling faces of my two girls as they greeted us coming off the plane in Portland. I sang the praises of my sister’s chocolate coconut delight on Christmas Day. I sang the praises of Mount Hood’s snow capped splendor as we drove to Kayla’s new home in Bend.   I sang the praises of Kayla’s kitchen remodel and the dinning room table Russell created for her. Then as we celebrated opening gifts around the tree, I sang the praises of Courtney who exudes such an innocent joy when she opens even the simplest of gifts. She still expresses the same genuine delight as she did when she was four years old. And when we snow shoed the two mile trail to Todd Lake at the foot of Mount Bachelor, it was just easy to praise the wonder of God’s magnificent creation over and over again. Now those are just a few examples of my recent praising. But I think you’d agree that giving praise comes pretty natural for us. After all, it’s pretty easy to give praise for our loved ones, a good meal or a great experience. We all want others to know how amazing that new restaurant is, or how well our new car drives, or how powerful that latest movie was, or how great your sport’s team is, or how incredible your grandchildren are. The simple reality is, that we love to praise. It’s natural for us to praise.

But have you ever wondered why we don’t praise God as naturally as we do a superb meal? Or why we don’t rave about God in the same tone as we do our children? Well, if you’ve ever wondered about that… if there’s a bit of a praise of God vacuum in your life, I want to invite you to open your Bible this morning to Psalm 145; where we’re going to answer the question: Why Praise God? Why Praise God?

And in looking at Psalm 145, in David’s final song of praise to God, he lays out for us four reasons why praising God is such a good thing. And the first reason is found in verses 1-3. Why Praise God?

Because He is Worthy to Be Praised! (1-3)     Let me invite you to stand and read his words of praise with me:

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.             Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.                              Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.

Let me make some of observations here. First, David begins his praise of God by expressing his personal relationship with Him. He says, “I will exalt you, My God the King.” He expresses what he knows to be true. God is David’s God and God is David’s King or Ruler. What I love about this is that David was the King of Israel at the time. But his position as king over all Israel was small potatoes in comparison to the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. So in his first words of praise, David reveals his dependence on God and his humility before God.

This is why praising God is such a good thing for us. For when we praise Him as our God we are reminded that we are His children and that He always wants what’s best for us. That gives us security. When we praise Him as our King, we are reminded that we are His subjects – that this world is not our home – and nothing that happens in this world happens apart from His Sovereign rule. Such praise of our Sovereign King keeps worry at bay and keeps us from making life all about us. That’s healthy for us.

The second thing I’d like us to observe is David’s resolve to praise God not just forever, but everyday. Now, I don’t normally make New Year’s resolutions, but this one makes sense.   What a great habit to build into your life: Praising God daily! Think about this: When we praise God we get outside of ourselves. Praise alters our perspective on life. God gets bigger, our minor trials and sufferings shrink and joy fills our hearts. So if you and I can make it a habit to praise God everyday, my guess is that this will cultivate a heart of praise in you that will eventually lead you to praise God in the course of your everyday conversations. For it was Jesus who said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45. Praising God daily may be the best habit you can ever build into your life. This is definitely one of my goals for 2018. Could it be one of yours?

Now, there’s one final thing I’d like us to observe here, and its found David’s praise in verse 3: Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. David uses the Hebrew Word Gebur to describe God. It is a word that can be translated, Mighty, Strong, Valiant, Warrior or Hero. God is the mighty hero who saves! Zephaniah uses this same word in declaring God’s great salvation: “The Lord your God is with you. He is the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you. In his love he will no longer punish you. He will sing over you with joy.” Zephaniah 3:17 This is why God is worthy of our praise. He is our Hero. He sent Jesus to save us. He defeated sin on the cross and conquered the grave when He rose from the dead. And now He gives salvation to anyone who believes.   He makes us righteous. He reconciles us with God. He forgives us and makes us His beloved.   Why praise God? Because He is worthy. His great love for us is beyond our human understanding.

Now, I’m thinking I can end there, but David’s just getting started. He now gives us a second reason why we should praise God: To Awaken Our Children to the Goodness of God Again let me invite you to stand and read these words of praise with me: One generation commends your works to another: They tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. Psalm 145:4-7

They tell… They speak… They tell… They celebrate… They sing. Who are the “they?” We are the THEY! As parents and grandparents we are the generation who commends God’s works to the next. Listen! God has given you a great privilege of telling the story of God’s wondrous works: His mighty acts, His great deeds, His abundant goodness to your children and grandchildren. In His wisdom, He has placed you in the position of greatest influence to speak of God’s greatness to your children and grandchildren.    Are you taking advantage of that? Just this past week I was asked to share a couple of stories of God’s work in our church from this past year. What was fun for me, was that a number of His good and gracious works came to mind immediately:

First, we’ve had 9 baptisms this year.   Four were brand new professions of faith with each person exalting Jesus as the hero of their story and clearly speaking of how God is at work in their lives.

Second, Our first mission team to Ocean Beach. 12 People went to Ocean Beach with the hopes of learning more about Regeneration Church and blessing the people there. But what happened instead, was that God blessed us. He taught us, stretched us and used us to make new friendships and knit our hearts to Mark and Lindsey and the people of their church.

Third, Our massive support for Operation Christmas Child. We had over 70 people come out to pack boxes, ending up packing and sending over 1500 boxes. We gave over $10,000 for shipping, and then sent a team of 18 on a little mission trip to Corona, where they worked together unpacking and repacking at the Distribution Center.

Fourth, our continued monthly support and provision for the Eloy Food Bank, helping unload and provide food on almost a weekly basis, as well as providing a couple hundred meals for Easter and Thanksgiving.

Fifth, when the call came out to help Churches in Houston, Texas help with the disastrous floods, you generously gave for Hurricane Relief in Houston.

Sixth, all the relational growth, love and care happening through our Journey Groups. God is alive among us. Jesus is changing lives here. God is at work here. Are you telling your children, your grandchildren of God’s love, of God’s goodness. God is at work in our generation and they need to hear it. And they don’t just need to hear of His works. They need to hear us express the gospel. The Good news that David declares here: The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:48-9

You see when we tell of God’s goodness to the next generation, God uses that. He plants a seed. He births hope. He awakens them to the fact that He is alive and active in our lives and our world. Why Praise God? When they hear our praise, God can use that to birth faith in them! We get to awaken the next generation with our praise. That’s a great reason to praise God. That’s the second reason, now the third. Why Praise God?

To Awaken Others to the Wonders of God Again let me invite you to stand and read these words of praise with me: All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. Psalm 145:10-13b

This is why we praise God: so that ALL people may know of God’s mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His reign. I am convinced that we live in a day when people without God are looking for wonder wherever they can find it. Hundreds of thousands flock to see the next Comic Book Action Flick or break box office records going to Star Wars. The millennial generation is in constant search of their next great experience. And most everyone else is trying to find “the magic” through romantic or sexual encounters – but what each one is looking for is “wonder.” They want to experience transcendence. They want to be awed. They’re all looking for the next great thing, but what they are really looking for is our wonder working God.

And that’s where we come in. God’s Word says right here, that all His works praise Him. And that’s true. Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. But it God’s people, you and me, who have been given the privilege to speak of WHO is behind all the earth’s beauty.

We are the ones entrusted with the praise of God. We are the one’s who know the God of wonder, of splendor, of majesty. Yet, when God’s people are silent, the rest of the world just ahead as if God does not exist. But when we praise God we awaken others to God’s wonders. When we praise God we tell others there is One who satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts. When we praise God we tells others there is a power that delivers beyond the empty promises of this world. And when we praise God we speak of THE ONE who can heal every heart, renew every hope, and reconcile any relationship. Our world IS CONSTATNLY SEARCHING FOR WONDER AND when we praise God we declare Him to be the wonder they are looking for. This is why we praise.

When was the last time you spoke openly of God’s goodness in your life? When was the last time you raved about how great God is to your neighbor, or to a friend? This is our calling. The apostle Peter spells it out for us in 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Why Praise God? So that all people may know of God’s mighty acts and the splendor of His kingdom! That’s a great reason to cultivate a heart of praise. It’s the third reason David gives us here.

But now as he concludes this Psalm he gives us one more reason to praise. And this one is the most practical and personal for us. Why Praise God? Because of His Faithful Love to Us Again let me invite you to stand one last time and read these words of praise with me:

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.

The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever. Psalm 145:13b-21

This last stanza expands upon why God is so great. Let me just focus on the first one here: He is trustworthy in all His promises and faithful in all He does. The Bible is full of God’s promises to us. Here are just a few from the Old Testament:

God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

And from the New Testament: For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

The Lord is trustworthy in all His promises and faithful in all He does. He loves you with an everlasting love. He will never let you go. That’s why we praise God! Because of His faithful love to us.

Have you experienced His faithful love? Has He given you eternal life in Jesus? Have you had your sins removed as far as the east is from the west? Do you know that He is always with you and will never let you go? Then you have reason to praise God!

Over the next couple of weeks I want to help us grow in our praise of God. On February 4^th we are going to celebrate our third anniversary as a Church. God has done a good thing here. God is doing good things through us. And we need to praise Him.   So for the next few weeks we’re going to keep God on the front burner. We’re going to fan the fires of praise. But to do that I want to help you begin to awaken the desire to praise God that is in you. One of the ways I want to do that is to give you a simple spiritual discipline that can help you cultivate praise in your heart.

Its what the ancients call “Breath Prayers.” Breath prayers are exactly what they sound like: prayers said in a single breath. To practice this discipline, you simply take a deep breath and, while exhaling, pray quietly or aloud a simple phrase to reorient you to God’s greatness or goodness in your life. Use this Psalm to prime the praise in your heart.

At the top of each hour breath: “I praise you my God and King” Do this for a day, see how it changes your perspective. Then, if you’re up to a challenge, take a seven day praise challenge, using this same Psalm. Select truths about God from these verses and make them your prayer. Here is one for each of the next seven days:

Lord, You are trustworthy in all Your promises

Lord, You are faithful in all You do

Lord, You uphold all who fall

Lord, You are righteous in all Your Ways

Lord, You are near to all who call on You

Lord, You fulfill the desires of all who fear You

Lord, You watch over all who love You

David concluded this psalm saying, My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

Can we do no less?

Let Us Praise Him everyday, for He is worthy!