Worship in the praise-and-worship tradition is based on the assumption that praise is not identical to worship. Praise is the prelude to worship, our entrance into God’s presence, which is the locus of true worship. This article describes this distinction.
The phrase “praise and worship” is frequently used by Christians, and yet these two words are rarely mentioned together in the Bible. Is there a distinction between praise and worship? What does it mean to praise the Lord? What place does praise have in our worship of God? Many have different answers. Webster’s New World Dictionary tells us that one meaning of the verb “praise” is “to laud the glory of [God], as in song.”
Hundreds of times throughout the Scriptures, particularly in the Psalms, we are exhorted to praise the Lord. In fact, the whole last segment of the book of Psalms deals with praise to God, and concludes, “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD/Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 150:6, KJV).
Because there are so many verses in Psalms on the subject of praise, we may tend to think that praise is Davidic. But praise is divine. We are to follow God’s pattern when we praise, not man’s. Praise is God’s idea, God’s command, and also God’s pleasure. He loves to hear his people praising him!
Praise Is Different from Worship
There is a difference between praise and worship. Worship in its broadest sense encompasses thanksgiving and praise, as well as the Eucharist, the act of giving thanks.
Praise is born in faith, is an instrument of war and a method of creating an atmosphere for the presence of the Lord. Worship is born from our relationship with God. We praise him for what he has done and worship him for who he is.
Praise is a sacrifice we give in faith. “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (Heb. 13:15, NASB)
Praise is our entrance into God’s presence. When we find him, we worship. “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving/Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms/Oh come, let us worship and bow down/let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:2, 6). Praise and worship are likened to rings that are linked together. They overlap, and yet they each have their own identity.
The Importance of Praise
As stated in Psalm 150, God has told us that we are to praise him, that this is his will for his children. Over and over again throughout the Scriptures, we are exhorted to praise God and in turn, he will communicate with us through praise.
Psalm 81 offers a clear picture of praise and its importance. Verse one (KJV) tells everyone to “sing aloud unto God our strength/make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.” (This encourages both singers and non-singers to praise God in song). The second verse instructs the musicians to “take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.” The key is in verse 4, which says, “For this was a statute for Israel and a law of the God of Jacob.” It is a command. Praise is not an option for a few but a requirement for all.
All God’s creation, from the lowest to the highest, sings praise to him.
Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein. (Isa. 44:23)
The Scriptures say that the sun, moon, and stars praise the Lord.
Praise the LORD from the earth / Sea monsters and all deeps / Fire and hail, snow and clouds / Stormy wind, fulfilling His word / Mountains and all hills / Fruit trees and all cedars / Beast and all cattle / Creeping things and winged fowl / … Let them praise the name of the LORD / For His name alone is exalted / His glory is above the earth and heaven. (Psalm 148:7–10, 13, NASB)
In the Apocalypse, John said, “Every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever’ ” (Rev. 5:13, NASB).
God’s created beings, including angels, are to praise him. “Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts” (Ps. 148:2, KJV). In Isaiah 6, seraphim are described as praising before the throne of God. The same is true in Revelation 5:12 (NASB), where “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands” loudly proclaim, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
If all the ranks of God’s creation praise him, how can human beings, the highest of God’s creation, do anything else? Praise is not optional; it is obligatory. It is not a preference; it is a prerequisite.
One of the most frequently sung songs of praise sums it up: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow / Praise him, all creatures here below / Praise him above, ye heavenly host / Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!”
Praise Testifies
Praise is a testimony. It speaks forth wondrous things of God and his ways. He is lifted up for all to see and adore when we offer praise to him. The Scripture says, “And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord” (Ps. 40:3, KJV).
Peter declared that we “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that [we] should show forth the praises of him who hath called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9, KJV).
People are supposed to see us praise the Lord. Praise is not just for our prayer closet but for public testimony. Praise is a witness of our redemption and new birth. We have been chosen to display the praises of our Savior. God is the center of attention because he is the source and the object of that praise. Our praise reveals God to the world.
Praise Is Associated with God’s Presence
It is in praise that God’s presence becomes evident. “Yet Thou are holy, O Thou who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel” (Ps. 22:3). God dwells in praise; praise is his habitat. The Bible tells us to enter “his courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4, KJV). Praise is the open door to God’s presence.
Praise is appropriate for believers. We read in Scripture that “praise is comely” [becoming, or suitable] (Ps. 147:1, KJV). The glow of God’s presence as his children praise him is very becoming to them. As Moses’ face shone with the glory of God, so the brilliant light of God’s presence will be upon the faces of those who spend time in His presence praising him.
His glory will be revealed in the countenances and lives of those who are close to him, for they will radiate God to the world. Their lives will emit the fragrance of his presence, causing others to realize that they have been with the Lord.
Praise Delivers
There is a power in praise that can bring deliverance. Because the all-powerful and all-knowing One resides in praise (Ps. 22:3), no adversary has a chance. The Lord our God in our midst will save us.
Praise brings deliverance from mourning, depression, and a heavy spirit. The results are as sure as God’s promises. Consider the prophetic word given through Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, … to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isa. 61:1–3, NIV)
Depression, weighty spirits, heavy burdens, and accompanying worries fall away when praise begins. Christians who “mount up with wings as eagles” are those who have learned to “wait upon the Lord” (Isa. 40:31, KJV). As they confidently expect God to come, they exchange their own strength for God’s. Waiting on the Lord does not mean total passivity.
The House of Praise
In Isaiah 56 God declares that “mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people” (v. 7, KJV). The word for prayer is the Hebrew word tephillah meaning “songs of praise and intercession.” God wants his church to be a place where prayers and praise are sung as well as spoken.
However, believers are praisers not because they sing for a half-hour on weekends, but because they have a life of singing praise to the Lord. We are the house of the Lord; each Christian is a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” A temple is a place of worship. Wherever we go as the “house” or “temple” of the Lord, praise is appropriate. The church of the Lord is a fountain of praise to its exalted Head.
Praise Is Joyful and Loud
The Scriptures, particularly the Psalms, describe many kinds of praise. David and the other psalmists speak often of rejoicing and of expressing praise to God in an exuberant or demonstrative manner: “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart” (Ps. 111:1).
Quite often praisers are criticized for being too emotional or too loud, but the Bible says, “Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King” (Ps. 149:2, KJV) and “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound” (Ps. 89:15, KJV). The Hebrew word for joyful actually means “earsplitting.” How many of us have ever even come close to that level in our praising? Moreover, John describes heavenly activity “as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder” (Rev. 14:2, KJV). Praise is the sound that fills heaven—loud spontaneous songs from millions of saints. God desires the earth to be filled with this praise, many voices in chorus singing their own song to the Lord.
Every creature, every nation, and every person in every language will sing glorious, audible praise to our exalted Lord. He delights in the praise of his people and is completely at home in their loud praises.
Praise is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and honor to the Lord. It is a declarative statement and must come from the heart. It must start with God and end with God and speak of God in between.