In Christ we have obtained a great inheritance (Eph. 1:12)—eternal life, which is to know God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son (Jn. 17:3). Such knowledge is not just intellectual. It is a deep and intimate knowledge. It is an experiential knowledge. By this knowledge of God, we possess him, and enjoy Him.
We were also made His inheritance. We, the church, are the Father’s love gift to His Son. We are the bride of Christ, which He delights in. Our purpose as His bride is to be “the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12), that is, to praise Him for His many attributes and His ways.1
With that purpose before us, our greatest desire in prayer should be that God would be honored, worshiped, and magnified among all people.2 It is no wonder that the very first petition in the Lord’s Prayer is, “Hallowed be Thy name.”
In general terms, praise may be defined as approval or admiration toward someone. Praise to God is the acknowledgement of who He is. It is exalting Him and thanking Him for His attributes and His ways. It is expressing to Him and to the world how great He is.
I think this is a good definition of praise. But there is so much more we can say about it. To start, we will examine three Hebrew words in the Bible, yadah, halal, and barak, which help us to see what praise is. We will take a look at these, one at a time in upcoming posts.
Source: Basics of Prayer
1 Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books. A division of SP Publications, Inc., 1976), p. 22.
2 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), p.65.
