(by pastor Norman)

“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God” (Ps 147; NKJV). Throughout the book of Psalms, we are exhorted to praise God. In Psalm 145 we are given many reasons to praise Him; His power, glory, goodness and mighty acts, to mention just a few. I am a country boy and can’t help but praise God when I am out in His creation (Rom 1:20). Everything that breathes is called to praise God (Ps 150:6), not only in the good times but continually, at all times (Ps 34:1). We are to see our praise as a sacrifice to God (Heb 13:15). King David said, “I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth” (Ps 1.9:30; NKJV). “Greatly” here means, with passion, loudly and with strong feeling. We can praise with lifted hands (Ps 134:2), clapping (Ps 47:1) and with dancing, as King David did, dancing with all his might, whirling and twirling, when he brought the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sa, 6:13-16). We can praise God with all kinds of musical instruments (Ps 150) and the word for praise here means with rapture, howl and wild celebration. However, in all of this let us remember that our praise must come from our hearts (Ps 9:1). In Psalm 100:4, we see that as we praise God we can enter into a real closeness and intimacy with Him. Similarly, in Psalm 22:3 we read, “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel” (NKJV). God invades our presence as we praise Him allowing His glory and power to manifest. We should all desire that. Even this reserved English boy has learned to truly praise God!