Our message this week was “Building a Throne of Praise,” looking at what it really means to make praise part of our everyday lives.
It can be easy to think of praise as something we do when the band starts playing on a Sunday morning, but praise is much bigger than singing. Praise is an attitude and a way of life.
Every time we acknowledge God, remember His goodness and recognise who He is in the middle of our circumstances, we are praising Him.
And importantly, we don’t praise Jesus in order to put Him on the throne — He is already King.
Jesus was on the throne before we knew Him, He is on the throne in the middle of whatever we’re facing today, and He will remain on the throne forever. Our praise doesn’t change who God is; it changes where our attention is focused.
Praise Changes Our Perspective
Throughout the message, we looked at five ways that praise can make a difference in our lives.
Praise prevents selfishness.
When we praise, our attention moves away from ourselves and towards Jesus. Instead of allowing our circumstances to become the biggest thing in our lives, we remind ourselves that our hope, future and provision are ultimately found in Him.
Praise is a battle plan.
Throughout Scripture, God’s people praised Him in the middle of battles. Jehoshaphat sent people praising ahead of the army, and the people of Israel shouted before the walls of Jericho fell. Praise reminds both ourselves and the situations we face of who is really on the throne.
Praise replaces negativity.
Complaining comes easily, but followers of Jesus are called to thanksgiving. When we deliberately remember God’s goodness, forgiveness, mercy and faithfulness, it becomes much harder for negativity to dominate our thinking.
Praise makes us aware of God’s presence.
We don’t have to persuade God to come near to us — He is already with us. But praise helps us turn our attention towards Him. As we make space to acknowledge God, we become increasingly aware of His presence in our everyday lives.
Praise makes room for the miraculous.
Paul and Silas praised God from inside a prison. Before their circumstances changed, before the doors opened and before their chains came loose, they praised. Then God shook the foundations of the prison and opened a way forward.
Sometimes we may find ourselves facing our own seemingly impossible situations. The challenge is not to wait until everything changes before praising God, but to praise Him right where we are.
Praise Him in Every Situation
The message finished with the words of Psalm 150:
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
Praise isn’t reserved for Sundays. It isn’t dependent on a worship band, a particular song or everything going well.
We can praise God at work. We can praise Him at home. We can praise Him when life is good and we can praise Him when we’re facing something we don’t understand.
Whatever this week brings, let’s make the decision to keep putting Jesus at the centre of our attention and acknowledging Him as Lord over our lives.
Jesus is already on the throne. Our response is to praise Him.
