Well, here it is Wednesday again! How’s your week going so far? With some really beautiful weather here lately and the official start of spring just around the corner, I’m feeling quite hopeful.
We’ll be attending our younger daughter’s fine arts concert at her high school tomorrow night. I’ve also been finalizing some plans for a summer vacation. Admittedly we’ll likely be masked for these events – and there are definitely some senior-year moments that aren’t happening – but I feel like perhaps a more normal, post-covid lifestyle is at least closer than it has been.
Our theme this month on the blog is praising God. Last week we talked about how praising God can change our attitude.
So what exactly might praising God involve? I thought we could find a few tips from women in the Bible. Here are three of them that give us a good example to follow.
Deborah
She may not be as well known as some other women in the Bible, but there’s a whole chapter devoted to her praising God.
We find her story in Judges chapters four and five. She was a judge in Israel who went with Barak to fight against Sisera and his army. After God gave the Israelites a great victory in chapter four, chapter five is Deborah and Barak giving praise.
How did Deborah praise God?
1. She praised God publicly.
“Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.” [Verse 3]
Deborah wanted the kings and princes to hear what she had to say! It’s certainly appropriate for us to praise God when we’re alone. But there are also times we need to let others know how great our God is.
2. She acknowledged God’s power.
“Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.” [Verses 4-5]
The things Deborah’s mentioning in these verses are things that only God could do.
3. She thanked God for how He orchestrated specific events.
“They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon.” [Verses 20-21]
In verses 24-27, Deborah also describes how Jael killed Sisera. Her praise wasn’t just in a general sense. She was very definitive in noting how God helped them win the battle. When God answers a specific prayer or accomplishes something that can only be a “God-thing,” we should praise Him for that.
Hannah
We find Hannah’s prayer of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. For years, Hannah wasn’t able to have children. In this passage, she is thanking God for answering her prayer for a son by giving her Samuel.
So how did Hannah offer praise?
1.She rejoiced in what God had done.
“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.” [Verse 1]
Hannah had received the desire of her heart and her joy overflowed as praise to the Lord.
2. She reverenced God as the only God.
“There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” [Verse 2]
Hannah knew there was no other way her prayer could have been answered but through an all-powerful God working in her life.
3. She recognized God’s sovereignty.
“The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.” [Verses 6-7]
Whatever happened to Hannah, she realized that God was in control of it all.
Mary
We all know this story well! In Luke 1:46-55, Mary praises God after finding out that she is to be the mother of the Messiah.
How did Mary offer praise?
1.She gave all glory to God.
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” [Verse 46-47]
Mary’s heart was full of wonder and amazement at this blessing from God.
2. She had a humble view of herself.
“For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden…” [Verse 48]
Mary saw herself simply as a servant of God. She knew there was nothing in her to make her worthy of the honor of giving birth to the Son of God.
3. She recalled God’s promises.
“He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.” [Verses 54-55]
What a blessing it is to our own souls when we can praise God for keeping His promises! It reminds us of His faithfulness and that He will always do what He says He will in His Word.
Choose one or two of these ways to praise God today. Maybe we praise God to a friend in encouragement or praise Him for His supreme power or find a promise in the Bible to praise Him for.
I hope seeing how these women praised God will encourage us as we make praising Him a priority in our own lives!
Related posts:
- What Mary Teaches Me About Praising God
- Praying and Praising with Scripture
- What Hannah Teaches Me About Prayer
Those three women are wonderful models of how to praise God! There is much we can learn from them, isn’t there?!
There sure is! Each of their situations was unique, yet their praise had many similar elements. They all gave glory to God!
I love how your broke these down to essentials!