The Power of Spoken Words of Praise

Spoken words of praise to God are a vital part of a Christian’s life. Our chief act of worship is found in words of praise – whether or not those words ever translate to music. The single act of spoken praise ties all believers together. Regardless of background or denomination, spoken praise unifies Christians around the globe.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see over and over where God’s people literally stopped what they were doing to give God praise. First Chronicles 16:8-11, 23-34 illustrates this beautifully. Those passages record the triumphal event where King David finally returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant symbolized God’s presence among His people. As King David brought the Ark through the streets of Jerusalem, people stopped whatever they were doing, lined the streets, and praised God because His presence was once again among them:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place.

And the praising goes on and on. WOW! As His children, we offer spoken words of praise to God for Who He is and what He’s done in our lives. We speak these words of praise to the One who gave us ― His New Testament church ― something much more precious than an Ark. He gave us His living, breathing, only Son.

Sometimes, you and I speak words to one another in order to convey anger, frustration, impatience, and judgmentalism. Those words destroy. But we also use words to encourage, motivate and love others, as well. Have you listened to how you speak to God lately?

Just like parents treasure loving words that their children speak to them, God loves to hear our spoken words of praise to Him. Our God is worthy of our worship and worthy of our praise. We were created to worship and praise God in every circumstances with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Some days that’s a pretty tall order. Maybe today seems like one of those days. But there is power in spoken words of praise. It changes our perspective, reminds us of what God has done for us, and reinforces just how much He loves us. When we speak to Him the praise He deserves, it takes our focus away from our difficulties and puts them on the One who has the power to alter them. Eternally. Praise!