I think that praise has at least a twofold purpose. The first one, of course, is to recognize the accomplishments and who someone is as opposed to being just another “face in the crowd.” Praising God allows us to make sure that God is assured the first place in our lives as we humbly acknowledge that He is Lord and Creator of all. He is not a god that we have made and can manipulate to do our bidding. Rather, He is the GOD of the universe and He accomplishes His will, either with or without our cooperation. We bless God when we praise Him, not because He needs our praise but because we do. That brings me to the second purpose of praise.

The other purpose is more personal. I praise because I need it! This past week I have been with a relative in another state and it’s hard to praise aloud here since she doesn’t believe in God or want to hear anything about Him. My soul is a little weary of not being able to play my praise music and sing along. But I have discovered that I can sing silently in my heart and still be uplifted and encouraged as I hear the words spoken within me. The second purpose of praise then is to establish the relationship between me and my Creator and to remind me of how much He loves me and cares for me. God wants me to know about His love, every hour of every day and for me, He uses praise to bring His everlasting love to my remembrance.