How To Freshen Up Your Praise

Introduction

Thesis

The character of God alone gives us enough inspiration for a never ending well of fresh praise.

Antithesis

Our praise dries up when we lose sight of who God has been to us and for us.

Relevant Question

Where do we find the inspiration that will rejuvenate our praise?

Proposition

We need to look no further than God’s display of sovereignty and faithfulness in our lives and in our world.

I. Personal (Psalm 33:1-5)

Praise is an act of worship that we should take personally. The Psalmist commands the congregation to praise but then he makes it more personal than that. Not only is it a responsibility to the congregation, he describes praise as a characteristic of the Christian. Praise is befitting for the upright. So now we have this expectation to wrestle with in terms of what our lives should look like. We now understand the importance of praise in our personal lives much in the same way that a doctor understands the importance of being aware of the latest medical developments, or a CPA understands the importance of being aware of the latest tax laws. Praise is a component of the Christian life that we should all pay attention to. There is such a thing as unbecoming behavior. We have a set of expectations for how people should behave based upon their position or role in our society and in our lives. Whether it be the pastor, the deacon, the teacher, the coach, the mayor, the governor, or the president. At each level there exists a set of behavioral expectations based on the persons title. Any behavior that contradicts that persons role or title is unbecoming of them. For instance, if I entered the pulpit with my pants sagging, using vulgar language, that would be acceptable behavior in some places and for some people, but it would be unbecoming of me as a pastor.

It is unbecoming of a Christian to live a life that is void of praise, which suggests that we should put as much emphasis on our praise life as our prayer life. Once you become a Christian, praise becomes a part of who you are and we should work to cultivate that area of our lives.

Psalm 34:1 ESV

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Now that we understand how imperative it is that we work on our praise, let us examine how that praise should look. The psalmist describes a type of praise that is neither bland nor boring. It involves recruiting help to send up sweet sounds to the Lord. He employs the help of the lyre and the harp. It also is a fresh praise. “Sing to him a new song”, we don’t literally have to write a new song, but every time the Lord does something we should receive fresh inspiration to sing. Perhaps a new song isn’t a bout new lyrics, but about a new perspective. A new way in which we have experienced God. His mercies are brand new every morning so we are never without a new perspective. Stale praise infers that God hasn’t done anything for you lately. For anyone able to hear these words, you know this is simply not true. If it had not been for him you wouldn’t be awake and aware. God is always at work in ways that remind us of his steadfast faithfulness, but sometimes we just don’t pay attention.

Praise is a Christian characteristic that is formed as a response to the character of God. It is not reserved for those who are in the valley. It is not reserved for those of a certain era. it is not reserved for those of a certain genre. Praise befits all of us, but we must understand the source of our praise.

II. Universal

If praise is a response to God’s steadfast love, then we can literally find inspiration everywhere we turn. The earth is full of his steadfast love. Creation is a testimony of God’s power and his faithfulness. But his steadfastness is not limited to the scope of the earth. By his word, the Heavens were made.

III. Political (Psalm 33:10-12)

Especially as it pertains to Black History month we can look to God’s work in the political to inspire our praise.