Clay in the Hands

We talk a lot about praising God.  In any given church around the world on the weekends, you most likely will encounter an effort to praise God.

Praise, by definition, is the act of expressing admiration or thanks to someone.  When we think about God and all that he has done, we are moved to express our thanks and admiration.

But as I have been pondering this most important element of worship, I have wrestled with this question:  Is praise just an intellectual assent or does it require action?

Psalm 148 calls all beings (even inanimate objects – mountains and hills) to praise the name of the Lord.   How can a mountain praise God?  How can a bird or snow or the moon praise God?

Granted,  the Psalms are given in poetic form, but I think there is more going on in this Psalm than poetic license.  What we learn here is that praise has as much to do with being God’s best version of ourselves for his glory as it does with giving verbal acknowledgement or intellectual tipping of the hat to his grandeur.

God created us with gifts, passions and talents with the sole purpose of living out those gifts, passions and talents in a way that honors God and points those around us to him.

Maybe praise has a lot to do with living in such a way that God can cross his arms and say with a smile, “Yeah, that’s my kid.”

Just something to ponder today.

Be blessed.