7 REASONS TO PRAISE THE LORD

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

TOPIC: 7 REASONS TO PRAISE THE LORD

BY T. O. BANSO

“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117:1-2 New King James Version).

The command to “Praise the Lord” appears in the Old and New Testaments in the New King James Version of the Bible more than 30 times. This excludes other times the phrase is used, such as “I will praise the Lord”, “may praise the Lord”,  “do not praise the Lord”, or similar phrases.

The phrase, “Praise the LORD”, is used most in the Psalms and they tell us the reasons to praise the LORD. The phrase is used only once in the New Testament in the New King James Version. “And again: ‘Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!’” (Romans 15:11 New King James Version).

There is hardly any Christian gathering where we don’t use the phrase, “Praise the Lord.” It is not a slogan. “Praise the Lord” is the English translation of the Hebrew phrase, “Hallelujah.” In some Bible translations, Hallelujah is used at the beginning of some psalms but in other translations, including the New King James Version, the phrase “Praise the LORD!” is used instead. However, in the New Testament,  “Hallelujah” or “Alleluia”  is used four times in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6.

Hallelujah is a combination of two Hebrew words “Hallel” and “Jah.”  Hallel means praise. “Jah” is the shortened form of the Hebrew name of the LORD, YHWH, pronounced Yahweh (Jehovah in English). Thus, Hallelujah means “Praise ye the LORD” or “Praise the LORD.”

Although the phrase “Praise the Lord” or “Hallelujah” has now become a form of praise among Christians, we should not only shout this phrase but also know what we should praise the Lord for and praise Him indeed. Going through the Bible, we see reasons why we should praise Him. These reasons help us to know how to praise the Lord and praise Him. We must, in addition to saying, “Praise the Lord” or “Hallelujah”,  praise Him by saying words of admiration to Him and singing songs of praise to Him. Psalm 150:3-5 says, “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,  praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals” (New International Version).

Here are 7 reasons the Bible says we should praise the Lord:

1. Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever. The Bible emphasizes this truth in different verses. 2 Chronicles 7:6a says, “And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying,  ‘For His mercy endures forever,’ whenever David offered praise by their ministry’” (New King James Version).

Also, 2 Chronicles 20:21 talks about praising the LORD, for His mercy endures forever. “And when he had consulted with the people, he 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 New King James Version).

The Bible also says in Jeremiah 33:11 to praise the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endures forever. Furthermore, in Psalm 106, we find this as a reason to praise the LORD. Verse 1 says, “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (New King James Version). The phrase “His mercy endures forever” is used about 40 times in the Old Testament in the New King James Version. Many of the scriptures talk about praising the LORD and, thanking Him, for His mercy endures forever.

2. Praise the Lord for being alive. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” (New King James Version). Because you’re reading this, you’re one of those this scripture is referring to. You have breath or you’re breathing. Therefore, you should praise the Lord.

Some people take the gift of life for granted. But without being alive, nobody can enjoy anything he has. And only those alive can pursue their goals. When someone is alive, there is still hope for him. Ecclesiastes 9:4 puts it this way: “Anyone who is among the living has hope-even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” (New International Version).

Praise the Lord for the gift of life. Psalm 146:2 says, “While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being” (New King James Version). Praise the Lord for being alive. Psalm 115:17 says dead people do not praise the Lord; those in the grave are silent. Only those who are alive can praise the Lord.

3. Praise the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 135:3 says, “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant” (New King James Version). The phrase “for He is good” is used nine times in the Bible either with regard to praising the LORD or thanking Him (1 Chronicles 16:34; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Psalms 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1).

Praise the Lord, for He is good. Praise Him for His goodness. He is a good God. “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 New King James Version). Psalm 100:5 says, “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (New King James Version).

David said in Psalm 145:9, “The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (New King James Version). According to Nahum 1:7, “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (New King James Version). The Bible also says the LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him (Lamentation 3:25).

4. Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to Him. This is another reason to praise the Lord. We should praise the Lord not only because He is good but also because it is good to do so. Psalm 147:1 says, “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful” (New King James Version). In the Amplified Bible translation of this verse, it says we should praise the Lord “for He is gracious and lovely; praise is becoming and appropriate.”  It is good to sing praises to Him. Praise the Lord!

5. Praise the Lord, for His merciful kindness and truth. Psalm 117:1-2 says, “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! (New King James Version). Note that the phrase “Praise the Lord” is used two times in this passage. The New International Version puts the verse thus: “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.  For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” 

In other words, the LORD’s merciful kindness and truth also mean His love and faithfulness. The Amplified Bible uses mercy and loving-kindness instead of merciful kindness and uses truth and faithfulness in the place of truth. Praise the Lord for His merciful kindness and truth.

6. Praise the Lord for His mighty acts and surpassing greatness. The Bible says this in Psalm 150:2: “Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness” (New International Version). The mighty acts of God and His surpassing greatness are seen in the works of creation. They are also evident in the signs and wonders or miracles in our lives and the lives of our loved ones and others. We should praise Him for all this. Praise Him for His miraculous provisions, deliverance, and various interventions.

Jeremiah 20:13 says, “Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For He has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of evildoers” (New King James Version). What a mighty God He is! Psalm 113:9 says, “He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!” (New King James Version). Only the Lord can do this. We should praise Him.

7. Praise for His righteous judgments. This is found in Psalm 119:164: “Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments” (New King James Version). The phrase, “righteous judgments”, of the LORD refers to His righteous rules, rulings, laws, ordinances, or decrees

Shout “Praise the Lord!” or “Hallelujah.” But also praise the Lord for the specifics. He is worthy to be praised. Say words of praise to Him. Sing praises to Him. David said he would praise the LORD according to His righteousness and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High (Psalm 7:17). Do the same. Praise the Lord privately and publicly. The writer of  Psalm 111 says, “Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation” (verse 1 New King James Version). Praise the Lord!

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.  I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, I praise You for Your merciful kindness that is great toward me, and Your truth that endures forever. I praise You for Your mighty acts and surpassing greatness. I praise You for Your miraculous provisions, deliverance, and various interventions in my life. I praise You for being good to all, and for Your tender mercies that are over all Your works.   

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org