“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.”
(Psalm 147:1)
The words of this psalm drip with the grace of God. Do not pass over God’s grace in words like these. Stop right now and read those words again, if you must. Do not take God’s grace as a simple fact, but delight in Him because of it. It is a miracle that words like “good,” and “fitting” can live in that same sentence—with a word like “pleasant.” Not only is God worthy of praise, but praising him is actually a source of enjoyment! And notice, the psalmist calls it fitting. The most necessary and fitting act in the world is also humanity’s greatest possible source of pleasure.
What an encouragement for worshippers…
And though this truth serves to encourage, perhaps it should also be a source of conviction. There are a few reasons for this:
- First, what does sin say about our belief in this truth? If I will really derive pleasure from praising a God who deserves to be praised, why would I ever do anything else? The answer is unbelief. I may think I profess God’s worthiness, but the truth is that there are times when my belief in carnal pleasure, or even just my laziness, is stronger than my belief in God.
- Second, If I have trouble seeing God as pleasureable, I may be a legalist. A legalist is more than someone who is unwavering in his or her beliefs; a legalist is someone who tries to earn God’s love or acceptance by following the law. When I am trying to earn God’s favor by abiding to his laws, I am a legalist. Not only does this mentality find its roots in the sin of pride, but when I do this I am trying to serve a God that I don’t know. I’m trying to do this by my own strength. If praising God does not bring me pleasure, I may be failing to see or praise him as he actually is.
- Third, If I am not delighting in God, I will not see the fullness of his character, and will not fully praise him. The fact that praising God brings pleasure is itself something worthy of praise! And when we do not truly delight in God, we cannot praise him for pleasure.
Let us overflow with praises to God for who he is. Let us delight and find pleasure in him. Let us do so because we treasure him and find joy in him. And let us praise him all the more for even choosing to give us pleasure, when all we are merely doing is giving him what he already deserves—worship.
4 Comments on "Sing Praises… For It is Pleasant…"
I love the line “but praising him is actually a source of enjoyment” Insane that God would make our worship something that we even get to participate in… and that it blesses us too.
This post is great! Our God is truly worthy to be praised!
amen
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