Perfected Praise

The ultimate expression of all creation and especially of angels and man is to praise the God of all glory. We were not created to praise one another or to praise the works of our own hands. He created us in His own likeness, not to compete with Him but to reflect all the glory of His actions back to Him. We are to live and act like a mirror of Him always lavishing back to Him His wonderful actions in our lives. The more we truly lavish Him with the praise of His glory in us the more glory and beauty of Himself will He lavish on us. If for one moment we seek to praise Him for what we get in return, His holiness will be offended and withheld. Our praise must be the childlike praise of perfect innocence.

A beautiful incident in the life of God’s Divine Son reflects this picture of perfect praise. “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Matthew 21:15-16) Praise ceases to be praise the very moment it ceases to be pure and innocent. It is His nature in us created by the sacrifice of His Blood that makes us childlike in innocence. The source of pure praise in adult believers can never be less than His grace and unmerited favor. Nothing in us reflects the new nature of a born again believer more clearly than the flow of spontaneous praise to our Heavenly Father.

The infallible Word of God teaches us that,”…praise is comely for the upright.” (Psalm 33:1b) and that God inhabits praise. He dwells in the midst of it and clothes Himself in its beauty. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3) Your life will never be absent of His presence as long as your life is never absent of the mastery of His praise. Neither can He dwell with someone that is empty of praise for His only dwelling place is where His praise is the master.

True worship is never a liturgy of manÂ’s arrangement. The entire purpose of worship is praise. To try to arrange it is most often to destroy it. You cannot arrange praise. You can arrange music that enhances the atmosphere where men gather, and you can carefully remove all human chatter that destroys His praise, but praise must be natural. Worship services that are led by musicians and singers that are stuck on themselves will never be meaningful worship. True worshipers are usually more comfortable with simple music and simple songs full of truth and short on talent. The combination of extraordinary talent and soul surrender is certainly ordained of God and is absolutely wonderful when experienced. Great revivals have often started or were enhanced by this special combination.

Godly praise and human pride are the opposite of each other. If we keep ourselves full of genuine praise we will never become the victim of pride; and if we allow pride, we will not be a person of wonderful praise. Our God has ordained us, created us, and empowered us with the capacity for praise that literally reflects the image of God in us. Our sinful world is a praise destroyer, and if unchecked, will absolutely destroy the image of God in us.
Isaiah proclaimed the good news of God’s redemption in Christ. He said in his great Messianic prophecy, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3) I have never met an outstanding saint that exemplified the best of the Gospel that was not clothed with the “garment of praise.”

A singing saint is a beauty to behold. I do not speak of talent. If that is present, it is a plus, but I speak of praise. It is a little bit of heaven when the church meets together and the redeemed sound forth their praise with music. In Acts chapter four after the saints were beaten and threatened, they returned to their own company and began to worship. There was no fear or anger at their abusers. They counted it all for His glory and praised Him for being worthy to suffer for His name. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31) Praise and power are always connected in His Kingdom. Perfected praise will produce powerful saints touching our world for the soon returning Shepherd of the sheep.