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Praising God was an integral part
of worship both in Old Testament and New Testament. The Bible clearly exhorts
God’s people to praise Him. Moses commanded the Israelites to praise God for
his goodness and mercy (Deut 8:10). David, the “sweet singer of Israel” had
a heart that reached out to God in praise. The Palms that he composed as well as
those composed by others contain passionate calls to praise God. The book of
Psalms can rightly be called a manual of “worship through praise”.
The Old
Testament writers used three writers used three basic Hebrew words in calling
Israel to praise God.
a. barak meaning
“to praise or bless”
b.
halal from which root we get the word “hallelujah” (hll + yhwh
= Praise Yahweh
or praise the LORD)
c.
yadah which literally means “throw” or “cast”. It is also
rendered as “confess” or “acknowledge” or “give thanks”
Praising God
does not mean saying certain things mechanically or merely repeating a
liturgical prayer. Praise that is acceptable to God must come from the depth of
one’s being and flow out through his lips (Psa 45:1, 103:1). The book os
Psalms gives us some clear guidelines concerning the frequency of praise:
Daily
Psa. 72:15
Continually
Psa 71:6
Seven times
daily Psa.
119:164
All the day
Psa. 35:28
At midnight
Psa. 119:62
While I live
Psa. 146: 2
At all times
Psa 34:1
A grateful heart knows no time limit when it comes to praising God. It will
indulge in “ceaseless praise”
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