Praising God Beyond Words and Deeds

Have you ever felt like your praise just doesn't measure up to the greatness God deserves? In this episode, Julie shares a perspective God dropped into her heart that reframes what it truly means to praise Him — and it goes far beyond what we do in church or during personal devotion. 

Key Scriptures Referenced:

·       Psalm 145:3 | Psalm 48:1 | Psalm 96:4

·       Psalm 134:2 | Psalm 95:6 | Psalm 150:4

·       Psalm 100:2 | Psalm 47:1

·        Romans 12:1

·        Colossians 3:17

·        Psalm 103:2

·        Psalm 146

·        Deuteronomy 6:6–7

·        Malachi 3:16 

Resources: 

Resources 

God's Footstool 

Episode Timeline: Total Time 13:30

 | Time | Section |

| 0:00 | Introduction
| 0:58 | Praise Is More Than Words
| 2:38 | The Bigger Picture of Praise — How everyday life demonstrates great praise
| 3:03 | The Nugget from God
| 3:35 | Blessings We Take for Granted
| 3:56 | God's Benefits Listed
| 5:34 | God Does This for All Generations
| 6:25 | Personal Blessings to Remember
| 7:16 | Remembering Is an Action
| 8:29 | Praise Includes Sharing Your Story
| 8:53 | The Challenge
| 9:17 | The Amazing Result
| 9:45 | Closing Encouragement
| 10:28 | Closing Prayer
| 11:43 | Resources — Five Steps to Experience More Confidence in God & related episode
 

Transcript

0:01

Hello and welcome to the Confidence in God podcast. I am your host, Julie McGhghy, and our goal today is to help you walk with confidence in God. Have you ever felt like your praise of God just doesn't measure up to the great praise He deserves? After all, there are verses in the Bible that emphasize that He is great and greatly to be praised, such as Psalm 145:3, Psalm 48:1, and Psalm 96:4. And yet, as you stand in a wonderful worship service, do you sometimes feel like your praise just isn't reaching to the greatness that He deserves? I confess I have struggled with that thought for many years. Yesterday, as I was preparing for church, God seemed to drop a little nugget into my spirit that helps me to reevaluate my praise. But before I reveal that impactful perspective, let's consider that our praise is so much more than just the words we say or the things we do in a church service or in our private devotions. There are several psalms that let us know that our posture and actions while praising Him are a part of our praise, such as lifting our hands according to Psalm 134:2, bowing or kneeling as in Psalm 95:6, playing instruments and dancing before the Lord as in Psalm 150:4, singing according to Psalm 100:2, and clapping our hands and shouting with a voice of triumph, as in Psalms 47:1. Now, the Apostle Paul fervently asks the congregation in Rome in Romans 12:1 to present their bodies as living sacrifices, which means to live a holy life in accordance with Jesus' teachings because doing so is an act of worship and praise. He also encourages the church in Colossae in Colossians 3:17 to let both your words and deeds express thanksgiving and praise to God, stating,"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." So much of the things we do and say in our everyday lives, our acts of praise! When considering how we praise God, especially when you feel like your praise doesn't measure up to the great praise He deserves. Remember, there is so much more about the life you live that demonstrates your great praise for Him. Now, to the nugget that God seemed to drop into my heart and mind yesterday. Consider Psalm 103:2, which states,"Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits." By converting the second phrase of this verse from a negative expression to a positive action, it would read,"remember all His benefits." What are His benefits, the many blessings He has given us. There are so many blessings that we just take for granted and seldom focus on. If you were to read the scriptures I shared a moment ago, especially if you read them in context by including several verses above and below the ones I cited, you would find lists of blessings He has done for each of us. Here's some examples. He is the creator of Heaven and earth. And I would add to that He didn't stop at just making them functional. God made earth beautiful and adventurous for our enjoyment. He has done mighty things. His mercy is everlasting. His truth endures to all generations, even to us. He is in control of all things and subdues the people who rise against His children, defeating our enemies. If this list isn't enough to keep you praising him, consider the list in Psalm 146. Our Lord actively intervenes in our lives and helps us. He executes judgment on behalf of those of us who are oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. He sets the captives free. He opens the eyes of the blind, and I would add to that, that means physically blind and spiritually blind. And when we are bent under the weight of the things we carry in this earth, He lifts us up. He cares for the fatherless and the widow providing for them. And he turns the way of the wicked upside down. Oh Lord, don't we need that today? He does all these things and He will continue to forever unto all generations. That means He will do all these things for you, me, our children, grandchildren, and all of our posterity. Oh, praise the Lord. He is indeed, greatly to be praised. We have all these things to praise Him for, and yet He set a nugget in my heart and mind yesterday that goes beyond praising Him for these things. Again, Psalm 103:2 reminds us to bless our Lord, in other words, to praise Him by remembering all of the many benefits or blessings He has given us. Each of us have all the blessings I've pulled out of scripture for you to remember, but also there are so many things He has done for each of us personally. Do you remember the day you received salvation? Do you remember the first time you realized the Holy Ghost was working in your life? Do you remember when God restored your mind when you thought you were going to lose it? Or, do you remember when he held your tongue when you wanted to spew hatefulness and bitterness all over someone? Do you remember when you were almost in a severe auto accident that God intervened? Or maybe you or someone you loved were injured in an accident, but God brought that person through it, remember? There are so many things in our lives that are benefits or blessings He has given us, yet how do we remember now? Consider what it means to remember. What God showed me yesterday is that in this context, remembering isn't just a mental recollection. The Psalmist isn't just asking us to think upon these things, but to act upon them. How do we act upon them? The same way God instructed the children of Israel to handle all the words He had given them. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God instructed Israel through Moses as follows,"And these words that I commanded you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit down in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up." Yes, remember all of the many things God has done for you by keeping them in your heart, which is that mental recollection part of remembering. But also share them with your children. Talk about them often in your home, when you encounter people throughout your day, when you lie down to rest, and when you rise up to go about your day. Praising God greatly is not limited to your words or actions in church or during your private devotions. It's not just the things you say and do as you live according to Jesus' teaching or that express gratitude and praise. Praising God includes sharing with other people all of the things He has done for you and through you. How long has it been since you've shared your salvation story or told how God intervened in your life in a way that only he could have? That is praise. That is great praise. And do you know what? In Malachi 3:16, we see that as we talk to each other about God and all He is doing has done and will do, God remembers us. It says,"The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name." Oh, to praise Him so greatly that it gets his attention. That's the great praise I hope to lavish upon my God. Wow, we've covered a lot in God's word today. If you know God is great, but you lack confidence that you are praising Him greatly as he deserves, I encourage you to print the transcript of this podcast episode so you can keep the list of verses tucked into your Bible or by your website or wherever you spend your time in personal devotion. Think upon the verses and the list of things that are worthy of praising God for, and pray about opportunities to share with other people your memories of the things God has done for you. Take God at his word and praise him greatly through your words and deeds, and by sharing your memories with other people. And then smile and rejoice at the idea of Him listening and paying attention to you and writing your name in His book of remembrance. I want to close in prayer for you. Precious Jesus, we just thank you. Your word is powerful, your word is true, your word is motivating, and it equips us to do all the things that you would have us do. You are truly great and you do deserve great praise. How we want to greatly praise you. I thank you for this message today, Lord Jesus, that you have dropped in my heart, that our praise is so much bigger and so much greater than just what we do at church or what we do in words during our personal devotion. But it's the way we live and it's the way we share our testimonies with other people. Please continue to equip us to do those things. Keep these words in our hearts, Lord Jesus, that we may act upon them. We thank you Lord Jesus, for you truly are worthy of all praise, glory and honor in Jesus' name. Amen. If you struggle not only with questioning whether your praise is great enough for God, but you also lack confidence in maintaining a close relationship with him, I encourage you to check out a resource I have available to you on my website. I'll drop a link to the resource titled"Five Steps to Experience More Confidence in God" in the Show Notes. Just click on it and click on the resource. It is freely and immediately available to you. Also, if you've come to a place in your life where you aren't able to stop and behold the beautiful Earth God has created for us, I encourage you to check out the podcast episode titled"God's Footstool, How Creation Draws Us Closer to Him." It might help you recognize that even your appreciation of the beauty around you is a part of worshiping Him. I'll drop a link to that episode in the show notes as well. That's it for today. I hope you found this podcast episode helpful. If you did, please take a second to subscribe to our show so you'll be notified when future episodes come out. It would also be helpful if you would share it with your friends and loved ones, as well as rating or reviewing our show. That way more people can find out about it. I would really love to hear from you. Let me know how God is changing your perspective about what praise is and how to praise Him greatly. I so appreciate those of you who have contacted me with your prayer request. Please know that I pray for you daily. If you need prayer, please reach out to me and let me support you in prayer. Until next time, let's be confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.