Introduction
In May 2023, CNN en Español praised Argentine soccer player Messi as follows:
"His career is full of successes, distinctions and sublime performances. Match after match, week after week, year after year, Messi's extraordinary phenomenon has not stopped. His competitive ferocity, his tenacity and his amateur spirit have consumed feats that have enamored fans of all stripes with his spellbinding footballing prodigy".
Not only in life do we see characters who are praised, but in Scripture we find many examples of praise. Even Nehemiah teaches us something particular and relevant on this subject.
Scripture
"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."
Biblical Foundation
This passage refers to the order of worship established by King David. As a true worshipper, David knew the importance of praising God, in fact, David himself had ordered to make instruments to praise God.
Throughout Scripture we find that praise to God is recognizing God's attributes. 2 Chronicles 5:13 (NIV) says “The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: 'He is good; his love endures forever.’” The people in this example, were recognizing that God was good, this was the attribute. They praised God because God is good. We also find another attribute of God; his love endures forever. So, praise was not just about singing in tune, or having the best vocal technique, but it was about recognizing who God was to the people, and this was manifested in a musical form.
Now, something that we find in Scripture is, the relationship of praise and thanksgiving. There are many passages in Scripture that show that praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand. So, when the people recognized that they had a good God, they remembered the goodness of God, goodness that they themselves had experienced, and that no one had told them about. There was gratitude in that. Therefore, a very clear relationship is when the people praised, in many occasions it involved thanksgiving.
This Thanksgiving season, we encourage you and your congregation to reflect on gratitude using this four-part devotional series during your upcoming Bible studies. Each part of this series includes biblical references, theological and practical reflections and dialogue questions provided by Rev. Dr. David Rangel.
- Intro to Cultivating Gratitude: A devotional series
- Part 1: A Thanksgiving Processional
- Part 2: Grateful in Every Situation
- Part 4: To Give is to be Thankful
Practical Reflection
I have heard from many people that, one of the reasons they plant in a church is for worship.
Praise is a special time in the service of worship to God. It is at that moment that we remember the attributes of God as we read the lyrics of the songs projected on the screen. It is through the music that we recognize the attributes of God that we have read in the Scriptures. But something important that happens is when singing "for God is good." This attribute of God transports us to the moment in our lives when we experience God's goodness. It is when our praise becomes alive through our own experience that thanksgiving arises from us. In the words of a well-known worship pastor, "It is not the same to sing that God is a God of love when we have experienced God's love versus when we have not experienced God's love."
This was the case of a teenage girl who in a session with her worship coach rehearsed the song "The Great I Am". This song took her back to a Sunday when her biological father had abandoned her and her mother.
"When I came to church that day, they were singing that worship song, and now that I sing it, I remember that God is a great God because He never abandoned us, so I thank him and sing to Him."
Although I am talking about how the time of worship in a service helps us in our thankfulness, it is necessary for me to make a point of clarification. For we do not have to rely on or limit our thankfulness to a time of praise in a service. You in your day-to-day life, in your home, car, or when meeting with family and friends, can recognize God's attributes by praising and thanking Him.
Questions
- What attributes of God do you know?
- Which of these attributes of God have you experienced?
Conclusion
Sometimes we praise God because it is part of the worship service, but it is when we recognize the tributes of God that we have lived and experienced that we can truly give thanks. So, the next time you find yourself praising God, think about those attributes you are singing about. Give thanks for the way you have seen Him work in your life.
Rev. Dr. David Rangel is originally from Monterrey, Mexico and is currently a pastor in the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. He earned his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. In addition to pastoring, he leads his own Momentum coaching group which trains pastors and churches in preaching, discipleship, leadership, and ministry strategies. He also joined the faculty at Perkins School of Theology's Regional Course of Study where he teaches Preaching 324, Advanced Preaching, and Discipleship Training. Rangel is the author of several books. He has been married to his wife Liliana since 2011, and together they have two daughters, Emma Olivia and Camila Michelle. His two favorite passages are Jeremiah 29:11 and Colossians 3:23.