How often have you heard someone around you say, Praise the Lord? This short saying is taken from Bible verse Psalm 150 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).
How many times have you asked yourself what this phrase means? Unfortunately, we can often say words or phrases without appreciating their purpose and power. This article aims to consider what praise meaning is, the purpose of praise, and the importance of the prayer of praise.
Praise the Lord Meaning
When we say “praise the Lord,” we mean that we rejoice and give thanks for all He has done for us. He created us, and He let us wake up this morning. He loves us and has redeemed us with His blood. He forgives our sins and gives us a chance to make amends. He protects us from danger and heals our wounded hearts.
And there are many more reasons we should say from the heart – Praise the Lord.
Praise The Lord is the joyful telling and declaring of all God has done. Praising often has some aspects of thanksgiving. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4).
Praise the Lord
Let us pray:
Lord, we bless your name and proclaim how great you are.
You are so powerful, and we praise you forever.
We praise you for the gift you have given us, your son Jesus Christ;
God, we praise you because you have given us peace, as you promised you would;
We praise you because of your unfailing love towards us.
Father, we bless you for calling us a chosen generation and a royal priesthood.
We praise you, Lord, because you are limitless, omniscient, and omnipresent.
We praise you because you said, let everything that has breath, Praise the Lord!
You may not know how to begin prayers of praise; therefore, this prayer will help you in this spiritual discipline and encourage your prayers of praise.
Types of Prayers
Praise requires us to call upon His name, declare His deeds and exalt His name. “In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:4)
In Christendom, we are familiar with the different types of prayers. The prayer of faith is where one would speak a command of faith against a situation. Jesus taught that we could have whatever we say if we have faith in God without a doubt in our hearts, but rather believing that those things we say are already done (Mark 11:22-23).
The prayer of petition, a prayer of supplication, is where an individual, group, or congregation comes before God in total humility, requesting what they need. Finally, we say a prayer of petition to the Father Himself; “Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you” (John 16:23).
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The prayer of intercession enables us to pray on behalf of others, where interceding is a sign of one’s relationship with God. In addition, this type of prayer places a person in the position to ask and receive. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
Prayers of Praise in the Bible
However, we do not always recognize or offer God prayers of praise. Yet, the word of God is filled with these types of prayers.
For example, the Psalms are often associated with prayers of praise. The words of the psalm and the Bible verses we mentioned: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6)
Or “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2). This showed the deep and personal relationship David had with God.
The New Testament also recalls prayers of praise. In Luke 2, when Christ was born of Mary, the angels announced to the shepherds the birth of Jesus Christ. The angels and heavenly hosts praised the Lord, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
What is Praise Meaning?
Praise can be associated with exalting, glorifying, magnifying, confessing, and giving thanks. When we praise the Lord, we recognize, appreciate, and provide awe to His splendor.
We often see examples of praise in the book of Psalms (Psalm 8:1) and hymns (How Great Thou Art), and as such, we can praise God individually and corporately in this fashion.
Even the angels of heaven and the moon, sun, and stars praise God. “Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens” (Psalm 148:1-4).
We can say prayers of praise to other things or relationships. For example, we can praise our children for a job well done.
Praise requires nothing sacrificial from us because it is simply acknowledging the acts of another. Therefore, we say praise without any real connection to the one we praise. Isaiah 29:13 states, “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
However, we must praise God with all sincerity because He is worthy of all the glory, honor, and praise.
The Importance and Power of Praise
While the word of God commands us to praise the Lord, the truth is that our daily challenges and struggles cause us to focus on our difficulties, thus crowding out our genuine praise to God.
- When you offer prayers of praise to the Lord, His power manifests in your life; miracles begin to happen.
- When you praise God, you become closer to His presence. Hearts transform when you genuinely praise the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. So praise the Lord at all times! Praise the Lord, everybody!
- Persistent prayers of praise break through strongholds of satanic kingdoms. For example, in 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat was up against mighty armies (Moab, Ammon, and Ammonites). Through the word that came to Jahaziel (the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah) through the Holy Spirit, Jehoshaphat appointed those who should sing to the Lord and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21).
- Your prayers of praise are essential because praise will set ambushes against your enemies (2 Chronicles 20:22).
Understanding the purpose and power of praising the Lord will enable you to grow effectively in your praise of God. Knowing the meaning, purpose, and importance of praise and prayers of praise will allow you to develop a more profound and intimate relationship with God and achieve a greater level of self-discipline by applying these critical principles.
