Ever-Building Conversation of Praise

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16

 

When someone begins to praise Jesus Christ in front of you, what’s your response? Do you smile and nod, feeling awkward? Do you roll your eyes, wondering when they’ll stop spouting off all their Sunday school knowledge and thinking, “So what? I already knew that.”?

 

The appropriate response is to pile on more praise for Jesus. When someone else is praising God, join in! Respond! It’s not a competition to see who can praise Him more, but at the same time you certainly don’t want to pass up a great opportunity to praise God with someone else.

 

David set up temple worship to work like this, people spurring each other on to greater praise and thanksgiving. The Israelites picked this pattern up again after the exile:

 

And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God. – Nehemiah 12:24

 

The temple worship was a picture of the ideal—a day when no matter where you go or whom you encounter, all will gladly praise God and will respond in thanksgiving when others praise Jesus. We don’t expect to see the ideal yet; we know that many of the people we encounter will not be so enthusiastic about praising Jesus. But as God’s redeemed family, shouldn’t that give us all the more reason to carry on a conversation of praise when we have the chance? Let’s remind each other how wonderful and worthy our God is!

 

Father, may I never shy away from an opportunity to tell how amazing You are! May I join other believers when they praise You, and may I spur them on to more praise. May we tell each other all the good things You are doing in our lives so that we constantly have the opportunity to rejoice in some new thing You have done.