Cultivating Joyful Praise
“Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.”
Psalm 135: 3 NIV
When you hear the word praise, what comes to mind? What comes to mind when you hear the word worship? Contrary to popular belief, worship and praise are not the same thing. Most people think of worship in strictly musical terms. We have worship pastors, worship music, nights of worship and more. Praise is not just singing, not just a church service moment, not just a feeling or something we do only when things go well. It is so much more than that. Worship is adoring who God is and praise is celebrating what God has done, in good and bad situations. Worship is a posture of the heart and praise is the physical response to that posture.
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Let’s look at the Hebrew definitions of the word praise.
Barach: to kneel down in an act of adoration to bless the Lord - posture
“Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the LORD our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care.” Psalms 95: 6-7
Yadah: to praise by throwing out the hands, representing surrender, to cast or throw down
“To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help. As I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts. Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring it back on them what they deserve. Because they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD and what his hands have done, he will never build them up again. Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28: 1-7 NIV
Shabach: To address in a loud tone, to declare loudly
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.” Psalm 117: 1-2
Tehillah: spontaneous praise
“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” Psalm 40:3
“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” Psalm 51:15
Towdah: thanksgiving through song, thanksgiving choir
“A Psalm of Praise - Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before his presence with singing. Know ye that he hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.” Psalm 100: 1-4
Zamar: to make music with strings, the plucking of strings
“Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Sing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.” Psalm 147: 1,7
Hallel: to boast, to rave, to celebrate, to make a show - our word hallelujah comes from this
“Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with the timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of the cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” Psalm 160: 1-6
When we look at these Hebrew words, we quickly realize that praise is far more than a slow song before a sermon. Praise is kneeling in surrender (barach). It is lifting hands in dependence (yadah). It is declaring loudly who God is (shabach). It is spontaneous overflow (tehillah). It is thanksgiving in community (towdah). It is making music (zamar). It is bold celebration (hallel). Praise is not confined to a melody, it is a response. It is the outward expression of an inward reality. It is the physical, vocal, and lived response to the character, nature, faithfulness and attributes of God. Here is just a small list to meditate on as you prepare your heart for praise.
Sovereign: God does everything according to His plan and pleasure
Righteous: God is always good and right
Faithful: God always keeps His promises
Merciful: God does not give His children the punishment they deserve
Immutable: Unchanging - God never changes - He is the same always
Holy: God is perfect, pure and without sin
Transcendent: God is not like humans - He is infinitely higher in being and action
Omnipotent: God holds all power - nothing is too hard for Him
Compassionate: God deeply cares for all His children and acts on their behalf
Eternal: God is not limited by time - He was, is, and is to come
Jealous: God will not share His glory with another being or thing (idol)
Worthy: GOD DESERVES ALL PRAISE
Before praise ever reaches our lips, it must first settle in our hearts and minds, because we cannot praise the Lord if we have not stopped to behold Him. And if praise is the outward expression, then we must ask: what fuels it? What sustains it when circumstances are hard? The root beneath all true biblical praise is joy, not happiness based outcomes, but deep, steady joy that flows from gratitude and confidence in who God is.
Throughout Scripture, God invites us to delight in Him, rejoice over His character, what He's doing in our lives, and wait with eager anticipation for what He'll do next. The theme of joy comes up more than two hundred times in the Bible. Joy is also one characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. Most importantly, God's Word shows us time and again that the joy of the Lord has nothing to do with current events and circumstances and everything to do with who He is and who we are in Him. Joy is from the Holy Spirit, which means we have it with us always, even on the days we don’t feel like accessing it! Joy is not something we chase, it is something Jesus has placed within us.
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15: 9-11
If joy is a gift that comes from abiding in Him, then the question becomes: how do we cultivate it? Scripture gives us the answer again and again; through gratitude. When we intentionally remember who God is and rehearse what He has done, gratitude awakens joy, and joy overflows into praise.
Psalms 22:3 says that God inhabits the praise of His people. Since that is true, who do you think inhabits our grumbling? Which attitude are we going to feed? All it takes is one simple shift in our mind to move from discontentment to gratitude, no matter the circumstance. It is physically impossible for your mind to process negative and positive thoughts at the same time. Gratitude leaves no room for negativity and complaining and makes the enemy flee!
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NIV
Gratitude has the capacity to increase important neurochemicals. When thinking shifts from negative to positive, there is a surging of feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. These all contribute to the feelings of closeness, connection and happiness that come with gratitude. Here are a few of the many ways in which mindfully practicing gratitude can improve our wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others around us: higher energy levels, better sleep, reduced blood pressure, feeling less lonely, less sickness, and improved awareness.
The invitation is simple but powerful: cultivate joyful praise. Not just hallel on the mountaintop, but barach in surrender. Not just zamar with strings, but yadah with lifted hands in the valley. Not just shabach when prayers are answered, but towdah when you are still waiting. Praise is not reserved for perfect seasons; it is rooted in a perfect Savior. When we fix our eyes on God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, righteousness, and worthiness, gratitude begins to rise. And when gratitude rises, joy awakens. And when joy awakens, praise becomes our natural response.
Reflection and Prayer
Spend a few moments before the Lord today and consider these questions as you speak with Him:
Where have you allowed praise to become dependent on your circumstances instead of God’s character?
Name one hard circumstance and then 3 attributes of God that remain true in it.
What would it look like to praise Him in your current season?
“All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
Psalm 66:4 NIV
