Praise! Co-workers praise each other for a job well done. Teammates praise each other when they win a game.

Teachers praise a student for making an excellent grade. Singers sing songs about praise. Praise is a word that is overused and underrated.

What is praise? It is a word that all religions have in common, but do we really understand what praise is? Do we really know how to praise YHWH or is it just something we go through the motions to and hope we are doing right? How does YHWH feel about our praise? Does it really matter to Him? As His children, don't you think we should know the answers to these questions?

What is praise? Praise is the act of expressing approval or admiration in words or song. Some words that are synonymous with praise include: compliment, flattery, recognition, applaud, honor, tribute, worship and glorify.

When you say to YHWH,

• "The way you arranged for me to get the Sabbath off from work was so cool!", or "No

one can paint a sunset like You!" that is praise.

Praise is an action. It is based on fact not feelings. When you express approval or admiration to someone for their talent or ability, that has nothing to do with how you happen to be feeling at the moment. It should be the same way with YHWH. We should not praise Him only when things are going right and we are feeling positive or happy.

There are two kinds of praise. There is physical, fleshly praise and there is spiritual praise. Fleshly praise is when we compliment, flatter, or give recognition to others based on their talents and abilities. Spiritual praise is when the Ruach Haqodesh leads us to give YHWH praise for who He is and the things He has done in our lives.

Now that we have seen what praise is and that it is based on who YHWH is and what He has done, let's see if we can determine from the scriptures how important praise is to Him.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:21 says,

"This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise."

And Kepha Aleph (I Peter) 2:9 says,

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. "

It is interesting to note that according to Divrey haYamim Aleph (First Chronicles) 16:4, David appointed certain of the Levite priests to thank and praise YHWH. That was their only job. This suggests that praise is not something that YHWH takes lightly or thinks unimportant.

If praise is as important to YHWH as the scriptures would seem to indicate, what are some of the reasons why we should praise Him? Many of the Psalms written by David are written as songs of praise. Within these Tehillym (Psalms), David gives us some excellent reasons why we should praise YHWH.

Tehillah 28:7 - We are to praise YHWH, because He is our strength and our shield. We are to praise Him, because He helps us in times of trouble.

Tehillah 33:1 - We are to praise Him, because praise from the righteous is beautiful.

Tehillah 50:23 - We are to praise Him, because it glorifies and honors Him.

Tehillah 99:2-3 - We are to praise Him, because He is great and holy.

Tehillah 138:2 - We are to praise Him, because of His lovingkindness and His truth.

Tehillah 146:6-9 - We are to praise Him, because He keeps Truth forever, He executes justice for the oppressed, He gives food to the hungry, He gives freedom to the prisoners, He opens the eyes of the blind, He raises those who are bowed down, He watches over the strangers, He relieves the fatherless and the widows, and the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

Ezra 3:11 - We are to praise Him, because He is excellent and His mercy endures forever.

Devarym 10:21 - We are to praise Him, because He is our Elohym and He has done great and mighty things which we have seen with our own eyes.

The reasons why we should praise YHWH are innumerable. No one who calls himself a child of the Most High would argue against the fact that we should praise Him or the reasons for that praise. But how many really know how to praise the Creator of the universe?

Is there a certain posture we should take when we are praising Him? Are there certain words we should say that make our praise more acceptable to Him? The answer to these questions is a resounding "No!" There are as many ways to praise YHWH as there are human beings on the planet. One of the things that makes our praise so beautiful to YHWH is the fact that it is as individual as we are.

There are, however, many examples of praise in the scriptures. So, let us consider some of these examples and how we can incorporate them into our own praise.

One of the more obvious ways to praise YHWH is through our speech, both on an individual level and when speaking before a group. Divrey haYamim Aleph (First Chronicles) 29:11-13 is a beautiful example of David's praise of YHWH before the people of Yisrael. When it is difficult to find the words to express what is in your heart, use these words of David:

"Yours, O YHWH, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O YHWH, and Yours it is to be exalted as Head over all. Both riches and honor come from You and You reign overall. In Your hands are power and might; it is in Your hands to make great and to give strength to all. Now, therefore, our Elohym, we thank You and praise Your glorious name."

Another way to praise YHWH is through song. Many of us already do this every week when we worship YHWH on the Sabbath. But are we really praising Him or just singing by memory a song we have sung a hundred times before?

In Divrey haYamim Beyth (II Chronicles) 29:30, we are reminded to sing praises to YHWH with gladness. Does that mean we only praise Him when we feel like it? No! It means praising Him in spite of our trials, cares and worries. It means praising Him in the midst of our trials, cares and worries. It means forgetting about everything going on around us and focusing on the subject of our praise; the Eternal Elohym of the universe.

Tehillah 149:1-3 tells us we are to praise Him in the congregation of the saints. These scriptures also tell us we are to praise Him with musical instruments and with dance. Can you play an instrument? Can you sing? Can you dance? Use these talents to praise YHWH.

Tehillah 34:1 reminds us that we are to praise YHWH continually. How can we do this? There are enough reasons in the scriptures to praise YHWH that we could use one every day and not use the same one twice for a year!

Make it a habit to praise YHWH at least once a day. The more you praise Him, the easier it becomes. Soon it will become second nature, and you will find yourself praising Him continually.

Thanksgiving is closely related to praise. When we thank YHWH for all the things He has done for us, we are acknowledging His presence and power in our lives. Thanksgiving leads us to praise. Count the blessings in your life that YHWH has given you. You will soon find yourself praising Him for all He has done.

David tells us in Tehillah 9:1 that we are to praise Him with our whole heart. In the scriptures the Hebrew term for "whole heart" is "tamym" and it means more than just our feelings. It means that we are to cling to YHWH

with all of our mind, emotions, energy, and devotion. We are to praise Him with everything we have to give, holding nothing back from Him. How much of our heart do we really give to YHWH?

Another way we can praise YHWH is exemplified in Tehillah 47:1, "O clap your hands all ye people! Shout to YHWH with the voice of triumph!" When you sing praises to YHWH, try clapping your hands. We give applause to people that have done a great job and even, at times, give them a standing ovation. How much more should we do this for the Elohym of the universe who loves us and has given His Son for us?

In asking the question, "How can I praise YHWH?" we find yet another answer in Tehillah 63:4. David says, "...1 will lift up my hands in your name..." Have you ever lifted your hands to YHWH in praise? If you have never done it, it might seem awkward at first. But when you lift your hands and praise Him for His glory and power and awesome presence in your life, you will realize how small you really are compared to YHWH.

the children of YHWH, praise should be an important part of our relationship with Him. He has given us innumerable reasons to praise Him on a daily basis. He has told us in Tehillah 22:3 that He inhabits our praises.

If we want to have a closer, more intimate relationship with YHWH, isn't it time we get serious about praising Him?

B' shalom,

Raquel

sabbathkeepersfellowship.org