SING PRAISES WITH UNDERSTANDING

For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding – Psalm 47:7 (NKJV)

Understanding the place and power of praise is vital to victorious Christian living. Praise is not just a pious appendage. It is more than a religious obligation. It cannot be relegated to a mere item on the church programme, slotted in to fill in the time or to warm the congregants up for the day’s sermon. Praising God is not just having fun. It is not another form of “christian-tainment” or an occasion for Pentecostal gymnastics. You do not praise God only when things are smooth and rosy.

Praising God is obeying a divine mandate: “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you….to give glory to My name…” (Mal.2:1-2). The primary assignment of the Priesthood is Praise! Praise has much more to do with the motives in your heart than the melody of music on your lips. When you are filled with Joy, singing in the right chord or having the right melody would matter least to praising God acceptably. God’s Word exhorts that you “Sing praises with understanding”!

Praise demands an understanding heart and mind. Understanding why God must be praised and Who God is – the King of all the earth – should inspire high praises from the depths of your heart. Your heart-condition and motives are important. You are not supposed to push your understanding out of the way, grit your teeth, and say, “It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ll praise the Lord anyway, if that’s the only way I can get out of this mess!” That’s not praising, that’s like trying to manipulate God. You are to praise God WITH your understanding, not in spite of it.

Your understanding gets you into trouble only when you try to figure out why and how God allows certain circumstances in your life. You may never understand why and how God does something, but He wants you to accept with your understanding that He does it. This is the basis of your praise. God wants you to understand that He loves you and that He has a plan for you: “And we KNOW that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans” (Rom.8:28). Praise God for whatever He has brought into your life. Do it knowingly, deliberately and with your understanding.