God loves us immeasurably and has given us
a variety of channels through which we can connect with Him and experience His power, from prayer to singing aloud and
dancing during praise and worship.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas witnessed the power of praise in an incredible way. For delivering a fortuneteller, they had gotten severely beaten then put in prison with their hands and feet in stocks. But instead of wallowing in despair, they prayed
and gladly sang praises to God in their cell. Then, something marvellous occurred:
“Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” – Acts 16:26 (NIV).
John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks
This miracle shows us how powerful praise and worship can be. It pleases God when we exalt Him and joyfully thank Him for all He has done for us, and this moves Him to bless us even beyond our imaginations.
The difference between praise and worship
Often in churches, praise is offered with loud, upbeat music while worship is quieter, performed with slower songs. But the difference between both goes beyond that.Apart from God, we can praise our friends, parents, etc. It is the joyful acknowledgement of the great works of others. However, as Christians, we reserve worship for God alone. Worship is more intimate and humbling, coming from deep within our hearts and spirits (Luke 4: 8).
Why should we praise and worship God?
As humans, we may try not to look too pleased when we are praised, but deep down we feel good about being appreciated for our accomplishments. How much more our creator? Praising and worshipping God is recognizing and celebrating Him as our Lord, and acknowledging His wondrous works in our lives. “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” – Psalm 100: 3-4 (NIV).
How can we praise and worship God?
We can praise and worship God in a variety of ways: Through singing and the use of musical instruments (Psalm 150: 3-5, 98: 4-6), with clapping of hands and shouts of joy (Psalm 47: 1-2), in a congregation (Psalm 22: 22 2Chronicles 29: 28), or by ourselves (2Samuel 20: 20).God also wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in truth: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” – John 4: 23 (NIV).
What praise and worship can do for us
Praise and worship are acts of thanksgiving for God’s blessings (Psalm 100: 4) (Deuteronomy 10: 21). When done in faith, they can cause miracles to occur (Acts 16: 23-26) and can be effective weapons of warfare (2Chronicles 20: 20-24).Praise can also invite God’s presence (Psalm 22: 3) and silence the Devil: “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” – Psalm 8: 2.
Last words
To consistently enjoy the benefits of praise and worship, we should make it part of our daily lives, not just when we go to church or faced with trials. In Psalm 34: 1 (NIV), David who continually received favours from God due to his attitude of praise, declared, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”Praising God is one of the easiest ways to receive from Him, so, cultivate the attitude of praise and worship today, and witness the manifestation of His power upon every area of your life.
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