Why Praise God?
Praise is a powerful way to express love and gratitude to God, bringing blessings and strengthening our relationship with Him.
Mary Wilder Tileston emphasizes the importance of giving thanks to the Lord and singing praises to His name, highlighting the need to show forth His lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness every night. She encourages tuning our hearts to praise, revealing countless reasons to thank God, as thanksgiving is seen as a sacrifice well pleasing to Him, surpassing the act of prayer. Tileston stresses that thanksgiving is not only a duty to God but also to ourselves, as it fosters trust in the present and hope for the future based on what God has done.
Text
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: to show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.
--PSALMS 92:1,2
PRAISE to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all His words most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways.
--JOHN HENRY NEWMAN
IF our hearts were tuned to praise, we should see causes unnumbered, which we had never seen before, for thanking God. Thanksgiving is spoken of as a "sacrifice well pleasing unto God." It is a far higher offering than prayer. When we pray we ask for things which we want; or we tell out our sorrows. We pray, in order to bring down blessings upon ourselves; we praise, because our hearts overflow with love to God, and we must speak it out to Him. It flows out of pure love, and then the love goes back to our hearts, and warms them anew, and revives and quickens them.
--PRISCILLA MAURICE
Learn the lesson of thanksgiving. It is due to God, it is due to ourselves. Thanksgiving for the past makes us trustful in the present and hopeful for the future. What He has done is the pledge of what He will do.
--A. C. A. HALL
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Praise
- Praise is a sacrifice well pleasing unto God
- Praise flows out of pure love for God
- Praise warms and revives the heart
Key Quotes
“Thanksgiving is spoken of as a 'sacrifice well pleasing unto God.'” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Praise flows out of pure love, and then the love goes back to our hearts, and warms them anew, and revives and quickens them.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Make praise a regular part of your daily life to deepen your relationship with God.
- Learn to see the causes for thanksgiving in your life and express gratitude to God.
- Trust in God's faithfulness and hope for the future by giving thanks for the past.