Praise?

     We all know about praise when it comes to receiving it, right? We know we want to be praised for how we look, what we do, what we think, what we say...we want to be praised in all things! Even if you don't recognize that you need praise, trust me, you do! 
     We spend a lot of time in our lives praising things of no value, from cellphones to sports teams to the weather, so we're no stranger to praise.
     As a wife I can tell you that if my husband praises my cooking I'm a lot more likely to cook, or if he praises my appearance in a certain dress I'll probably wear that dress until it's threadbare! 
     In the marketplace I have been a manager and I've worked under managers, and the ones that stood out to me as the best managers were the ones that knew to give their workers praise! The managers that withheld praise and only demanded more were not often appreciated or "praised" by their employees. People, have a need to be recognized for the things they do, they need "praise". The definition of praise is "express warm approval or admiration of", who doesn't want that?!
     And we're made in the image of God right? So maybe God wants praise? Maybe God wants for us to "express warm approval or admiration" of Him? If you have any doubt it's spelled out many times in the scriptures! 

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his Temple; 

  praise him in his mighty heaven. 

Praise him for his strength; 

  praise him for his greatness. 

Praise him with trumpet blasts; 

  praise him with harps and lyres. 

Praise him with tambourines and dancing; 

  praise him with stringed instruments and flutes. Praise him with loud cymbals; 

  praise him with crashing cymbals. 

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
  Praise the Lord!   ~Psalm 150~

     Now, what do we know about praising God? It’s all written out in scripture, but if we don’t take time to read the Bible we may not know as much about praising our Heavenly Father as we should! It doesn't really take a lot of time, there is something to praise God about in so many places! Once you start making a practice of it you can really get involved in reading and praising and the time flies by!
     Psalms talks a lot about praising and the different attributes to praise. When I was first trying to learn how to praise, or what to praise God for I started reading through Psalms and writing down each characteristic or action that I came to that described Him.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, Psalm 1:5 

  Praise suggestion, "Lord, I am Your righteous, You know my way! You know me! You are mindful of me!"

He who sits in the heavens Psalm 2:4

   Praise suggestion, "Father, You sit in the heavens! You are high above us! You are the great Creator!"

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. Psalm 3:3

   Praise suggestion, "Heavenly Father, You are my shield! You are my glory, You are the One who lifts my head! Where am I without You? You are the One that protects me! Thank You Father! You are my Protector! 

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5
   Praise suggestion, "El Shaddai, Father, You are my Protector, my Provider, You sustain me! You are faithful! Even in my sleep, You are there!"

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him. 

Psalm 4:3

   Praise suggestion, "Father, I am Yours and Yours alone! You have set me apart! You are hearing when I call, Thank You Father, You are never failing!"

You have put gladness in my heart, Psalm 4:7

   Praise suggestion, "Lord, the gladness in my heart is from You! You alone are a constant source of gladness!"

     Maybe this gives some ideas of how to build a strong "Praise" life with God? and this was only the first 4 Psalms! there are 146 more! Not to mention all of the other books! Think about Genesis..."In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"...Praise suggestion ~"Father...You created all of this! You are amazing, You are a creative Genius! You are the Alpha and Omega! the beginning and the end! When there was nothing You still existed! You boggle my mind! I can not fully grasp the greatness of You!" ...

     When you think about God it is easy to fall into praise! He is amazing! He sings over you, you would not exist or have any hope without Him! He really is the One to be praised! 

     Let your spirit ring out with praise! 

For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:5