Why is praising God so important?

1. When we praise God, we come into the Lord’s presence

Psalm 95:2-3 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 100:1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name

2. When we praise God, we extol and glorify Lord above everything, above every situation, above every problem. We honor God

Exodus 15:2 My strength and my refuge is the Lord, and he has become my savior. This is my God, I praise him; the God of my father, I extol him.

Esther 4:17 Lord, Lord, King and Ruler of all, everything is in your power, and there is no one to oppose you when it is your will to save Israel. You made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven. You are Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist you, the Lord. You know all things.

Psalm 117:1 Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!

Psalm 50:23 Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me; I will let him whose way is steadfast look upon the salvation of God.”

3. When we praise God, we can overcome sin and temptation, any chains and bondages will be broken

Acts 16:25-26 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Pslam Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side! I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.

4. We realize that we were made to love and praise the Lord

Sirach 17:8-9 That they might describe the wonders of his deeds and praise his holy name.

Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath, give praise to the Lord, Hallelujah

5. We join our praises with the praises in Heaven – Heaven and earth meet

Psalm 150:1 Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy sanctuary; give praise in the mighty dome of heaven. 

Rev 4:8-11 Worship in heaven – The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,[h] were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.”  Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne and worship him, who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming: “Worthy are you, Lord our God,  to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things;  because of your will they came to be and were created.”

Luke 2:13-14 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

6. When we praise God we are strengthened

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield, in whom my heart trusts. I am helped, so my heart rejoices; with my song I praise him.

Psalm 148:13-14 Let them all praise the Lord’s name, for his name alone is exalted, His majesty above earth and heaven. He has lifted high the horn of his people; to the praise of all his faithful, the Israelites, the people near to him. Hallelujah!

7. When we praise God, we are filled with the Holy Spirit – our spirits are joined with the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:18-20 Be filled with the Spirit,addressing one another [in] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

8. When we praise God, we rejoice in God

Luke 1:46-47 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

9.When we praise God, we are filled with peace

Phil 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness[e] should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

10. When we praise God, we are doing the will of the Lord

Psalm 113:1-3 Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised.

Psalm 69:31 That I may praise God’s name in song and glorify it with thanksgiving.

1 These 5:18 In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus

So, let us continually offer up a sacrifice a praise.

Psalm 50:14 Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High.

Hebrews 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. In good times, praise the Lord In difficult times, praise the Lord In sickness, praise the Lord In health, praise the Lord Praise the Lord always and everywhere For it is our duty and salvation to praise the Lord!

Catechism of Catholic Church: 2639 Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God,testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal: the “one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist.

According to CCC, 2639, by praising God

• We recognize God is God and above everything
• We glorify God
• Holy Spirit is joined to our spirit
• We testify to Jesus Christ through whom we are adopted.
• We bear witness that we children of God
• We testify to God’s greatness
• Our prayers are carried to God – source of all things and for whom we exist