Radical Praise

Once upon a time, praise was a limited concept to me.  I often associated it with worship time at church.  It conjured up images in my head of people kneeling or bowing down before the Lord, bowing their heads to pray, lifting hands in the air.  Then, I came to realize praise is a lifestyle.  As I researched the meanings of praise and worship in Hebrew, I discovered that they also mean to shine forth, to dance, to spring about wildly with joy, to jump for joy, to spin around under the influence of strong emotion, to rejoice and be glad, to exult, to shout, even to split the ears with sound (Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome (Psalm 47:1-2)).  I think these are my favorites:  to celebrate hilariously and to be clamorously foolish.  (Definitions in Hebrew from: http://www.topraise.net/pages/ropaw/hebrew-words.htm)

Praise is about rejoicing before the Lord, making a fool of ourselves in front of Him, dancing, shouting, singing…living in abundance and joy.  And when we do not feel like rejoicing, when we are weighed down by the burdens of life, we must choose to move beyond our circumstances and rejoice anyway.  Why?  Because it breaks the back of the enemy and invites the Lord in.  Suddenly, we are in His Presence, and we are transformed.

So how do we get there? 

First, we must choose to seek Him daily, regardless of our circumstances or emotions.  Whether that is in His Word, turning on praise music, praying aloud or in silence.  As mentioned before, praise comes in a host of different colors and styles.  What does it for you?  Where and how do you feel closest to God?  But I extend this caveat, while knowing our personal preferences is important, these can also be a deterrent.  The enemy knows us well and can use our emotions to steer us off track. 

For example, we all have different preferences in styles of music, ones that can really lift us up and others that are just so-so or even grate on our nerves.  However, when it comes to singing to the Lord, a pastor once pointed out that it doesn’t really matter what we feel in that moment, because it isn’t for us; it is for the Lord.  We must put the focus on God.  It may not elevate our hearts immediately.  But as we continue in the pursuit of praising God, things change.  We change; our hearts change.  And suddenly, those circumstances, good or bad, are irrelevant because we are in the presence of the Lord.

So what else can we do to get there?

I propose we begin by allowing the child in all of us to be filled with wonder and awe in the presence of things discovered, in the presence of beauty and grace, in the presence of God.  How do we arrive at this?  How do we take back what was ours or perhaps what was never ours?  I recommend purchasing a license to be astonished, to enjoy, to revel, to praise God.  It’s free and will transport you to a world of joy and disembodied rapture in the blink of an eye.  It is a place where youth and the freedom that comes with it remain.  Perhaps it is a bit like Sir J. M. Barrie’s fabled Neverland, or perhaps it is even more amazing than that.  Perhaps it is a place that is real to each of us in our own time, in our own way, that is, according to God’s design for each of us.  Yes, perhaps.

What a wonderful word—perhaps.  No boundaries, no limitations.  Only possibility.  Improbability is no longer a factor because with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).  All things.  Not some things – all things.  It means that marriages can be repaired, children can be healed of Down’s syndrome, the blind can see and the lame will walk – it means that life can be restored, revived, replenished, renewed.  It means that Isaiah 61:1 and the Great Commission are for today.

I love how A.W. Tozer puts it: “leave a margin for miracles.” (,p. 12)  We need to leave room for God to show up.  Chip Ingram says dream “God-sized dreams”.  If they aren’t God-sized, we don’t really need Him to make them happen.  We need to stop limiting God; we need to expect Him.  We do this by inviting Him in with praise and prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude and expecting Him to answer, to show up powerfully.  I don’t mean that He will always answer our prayers the way we want.  I don’t mean that He will always give us the miracle, but He can and will sometimes.  But if we never ask, if we never hope, if we never seek Him, how can we expect Him to answer?  If we never give Him glory and honor and praise that are His alone, how can we expect Him to show up in power and with purpose?  We need to invite Him into everything, even the little things, because everything matters to Him – from our greatest joys and heartaches to our tiniest desires (like a chocolate bar).  We need to invite Him in, then, expect Him to show up.  And when we invite Him, praising Him, whether it be through prayer or singing or holding someone’s hand when they are ill, giving your time to a child, writing a book, or giving to one in need, His glory descends upon us.  The glory comes when the King is in the house, that is, when He’s invited.  And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17), the veil is lifted (2 Corinthians 3:16).  Amen.

So take the time to praise Him today, even if it's for 10 seconds.  Give Him time, give Him praise, and be transformed.

Until next time...

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate^[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (II Corinthians 3:16-18, NIV).