What does it mean to praise God?

As our hearts are thus filled by what the Spirit of God delights to bring before us, praise will ascend as a sweet-smelling savour to God. Israel of old brought up their burnt offerings to the house of God, and by the priest they were offered to ascend from the altar as fragrant sacrifices to God, for they pointed on to the one perfect offering of Christ; but now, by Christ the risen One, we offer the sacrifice of praise "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

Blessing God in that sense may reverently be spoken of as ministering to His happiness! What an honour bestowed upon the redeemed today! Wonderful, indeed is this truth — we can bless God!

It is God's will that we should offer the sacrifice of praise continually. "The fruit of our lips" is to tell God what beauty and satisfaction we have found in Christ according to the scriptures. This delight in the Lord is bound to be acceptable. God never refuses to receive such words. They are well pleasing to Him, Who delights in His well-beloved Son.

The patriarch's example lays it upon us that worship, in order to be acceptable to God, must be of the nature of a sacrifice. Worship must cost us something. In a measure, we are poorer, in some way or the other, because we worship God. We give something to Him, i.e., not something of ourselves, but something of Him Who lives in us, of Him Who is ever acceptable to God.

If Paul and Silas in the prison could sing His praises at midnight, when their feet were fast in the stocks, and their backs were sore — if they in such circumstances were so filled with the blessing of the Lord which maketh rich that they "sang praises unto God" — what a volume of praise and blessing He ought to receive from those who dwell in His house today.

The holiness of Jehovah required the judgment of sin before either His people or the praises of His people could be acceptable to Him. Propitiation for sins is the foundation of worship and praise, because the place where Jehovah dwells is holy.

When we are before God in "the holiest of all" and recall that the death of Christ is the most notable occurrence in the world's history and that something was done there and then of immeasurable value and requiring no repetition, then songs of irrepressible praise will swell within us. The incense of acceptable praise will ascend to the eternal throne.

The One who is in our midst says "I will sing!" Nor will He fail to do so! We may, but, blessed be God, our Lord and Leader continues to sound the praises of God, as we read, "I will declare Thy Name unto my brethren; in the midst of the assembly will I sing Thy praises" (Heb. 2:12). He makes God known to us and He sings praises to God.

Is it not touching when we read down through psalm 22 to see the deep sufferings which the forsaken One of God endured upon the tree, and then near the close to find those words... "I will praise Thee;" and again, "Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him;" and then, "My praise shall be of Thee in the great congregation"? The Sufferer becomes the Singer, the One who knew sorrow beyond all others sings the song of songs.

We may sing a hymn of praise tunefully with our lips, but if our spirit is not with it, it is not acceptable worship to God. I must sing with the spirit and with the understanding. My heart must be right before my lips. Why? Because I am worshipping the Father, and He is seeking worship in spirit.

Worship, I say, is the highest and most sublime occupation in which we can engage here below. Moreover, worship comes within the province of the simplest and the youngest believer, as well as of those who are older and more acquainted with the love of God through His grace. Perhaps, the simpler the heart and the soul, the purer, and shall I say, the more acceptable is the worship that rises to God. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise."

In prison, chained between two soldiers, cast, of course, more than ever on the Lord — the Lord was very gracious to him — but he learned, come what will, to "rejoice," not in the prosperity of his work, or in the prosperity of the Church, or of the saints; but to "rejoice in the Lord always"!

It is not the mere buoyancy of a heart ignorant of the power of evil, or of the opposition of Satan. There is a great deal of this superficial joy, this floating over the surface of things, with many. But it is the real power, where the depth of evil and opposition is apprehended, and the power of the Lord is known and trusted in as above it all!

There was continuity also! Mark that word "continually"! We do not seek just a burst of praise and then a fall to the murmuring which is so prevalent on all hands!

The night watches passed, but the burnt offering sent up its sweet savour. The worshippers were asleep, but the flame still rose from the altar. They might be oblivious of this silent worship, but Jehovah was refreshing Himself with the sweetness, the excellence, the glory, the grace of His blessed Son, to whom the burnt sacrifice pointed.