Definition of Praise

My husband teaches a Bible study at our church, which is in a military town. We have many soldiers in training, a few generals, a couple of chaplains, and many veterans that attend our church and that visit my husband’s class.

One Sunday morning, we were talking about the definition of praise. Obviously, we had people in the Bible study who had experienced many rough (even traumatic) times in their lives. One such person reminded us of Psalm 13, a psalm of David:

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (vs. 1)

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (vs. 2)

Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, (vs. 3)

and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (vs. 4)

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (vs. 5)

I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” (vs. 6)

As we delved into this Psalm, we were reminded that many times, we Christians make praise about us. We thank God when things are going well in our lives. But what about when things are not going well?

Praise shouldn’t be about us. It should always be about who God is. In Psalm 13, the first four verses make it clear that David is not happy with his circumstances. However, the last two verses (vs. 5-6) focus on God’s character (i.e., His unfailing love, His salvation, and His bountiful goodness towards us).

Whatever you’re going through, remember to praise God for who He is. That is the definition of praise. When we focus on His faithfulness, we will find ourselves feeling so much more hopeful and optimistic about the future. God is good, and His goodness never fails.

~Sarah