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Everyone does it, everyone wants it, and only God deserves it.

Thursday, October 1

 

You look good, you are so smart, she is so gifted, what an amazing athlete, great job, what a great leader; super talented, like nobody else, she is the greatest, and he is the best… Everybody does it; we all both give and receive praise. We praise celebrities, leaders, loved ones, God, and many more. Likewise, we too love to receive praise.

A recent business study concerning productivity asked workers if encouragement (praise) was necessary in order for them to perform better; 60 % of those questioned required encouragement while 40% stated they did not need encouragement in order to perform their jobs. The same group was asked if when they received encouragement (praise), did it cause them to be more productive, to which 98% responded, yes. Let us be honest here, who does not want to be recognized for what they do? Everyone does it and everyone wants it.

We praise people for what they do. We praise athletes for their achievements, leaders for great leadership, heroes for their courage and parents for great parenting. We do this even though we may not necessarily like, know, or agree with the person we are praising; we are still able to recognize that someone has done something praiseworthy. We do this because we praise people for what they do in spite of who they are. Likewise, we like to be praised for the things we do and when we do not receive that praise, we feel neglected, as if we are not being acknowledged. This upsets us and we say and think things like, you do not appreciate the things I do; after everything I do… And the worst one is, from now on, do it yourself!

He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.

– Deuteronomy 10:21 NLT

There is nothing wrong with praising people for what they do. It is also ok to receive praise for the things we do that deserve it. The problem arises when we fail to praise God for what He has done, is doing, and will do. In all honesty, we can shower each other with praises for a job well done, but when we look at what God has done, it is clear that only He deserves to be praised. Did you know that God loves praise? King David in Psalm 22 says that God is enthroned on the praises of His people. This is because God loves to be recognized for the things He does. To some this may sound as if God is some egomaniac who exclusively wants to be praised. I do not see it like that, because every time I praise God for what He has done, I am the actual beneficiary of His actions. This is why in 2 Chronicles (20:21), when the Israelites were under attack from multiple nations, they would send a group of people to the front lines that would shout, praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever! As they praised God, He gave them the victory over all their enemies.

If all God ever did for us was to send His son to die for us on the cross some two thousand years ago, this is reason enough to praise Him for all eternity. Two thousand years later God is still looking for us to praise Him. He is the reason we are alive; he has kept the oxygen flowing, our blood pumping, and food in our stomachs. Therefore, just like the Israelites, we too should be saying, Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever.

Everyone does it, everyone wants it, but only God deserves it. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord” – King David

Heavenly Father I praise you because you are a great and mighty God! I praise you for the cross and I praise you for all you have done, are doing and will do. I love you Heavenly Father, I praise you and bless you.