Psalm 135

Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. (Ps 135:3)

In the previous chapter, we were reminded to praise the Lord every day. When we bless the Lord, we not only kneel before Him, the Almighty, but we also give thanks to Him for His goodness.

When we sing praises unto His name, the Bible describes it as "pleasant", meaning delightful, lovely, or like a sweet sounding song. The Bible often uses "incense" (cf Rev 5:8) as an analogy for prayers. Just as the people in the Old Testament would burn incense as an offering to God, today, our prayers also ascend up to heaven, and God receives them all. 

Let my prayer be set before You as incense,

The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Ps 141:2)

This also reminded me of a song by Don Moen - Praise looks good on you.

When you lift your hands up high

And you sing a song of praise to Me

It brings Me great delight

Such a lovely sight

And yes it is true

Praise looks good on You

Morning night and noon

Your praise ascends to heaven

Like the smell sweet perfume

Filling every room

And yes it is true

Praise looks good on You

Indeed, in our everyday prayer, have we missed out on this important aspect of prayer - giving praises to God? Have we been bogged down by the everyday needs and wants and only know how to make requests in prayers?

God delights in our praises to Him, for it is in our praises that our love for God and our faith in Him can be seen.

Would someone grumbling about God sing praises to Him? Surely not. Would someone who has lost faith in Him praise Him? I don't think so. Would someone who feel that all that he has today is solely by his own effort give thanks and praise to God? Tough.

Therefore, God delights in our praises to Him. It is a pleasant thing. Through our praises, God sees our hearts of reliance and humility, and we in turn, learn to rely on Him. 

If we have forgotten how and what we should praise God for, today's psalms gave us two examples.

For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. (Ps 135:4)

Isn't it amazing that out of the billions of people in the world, God chose you? Just as He had out of His sovereignty chose Jacob, He has also chosen you and me today. Something to be amazed and praise God for!

For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. (Ps 135:5)

Our Lord is the omnipotent Almighty. Just as the song goes, My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do! When things do not go our way, we need to have faith to know that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). We need not fear. Surely He can do anything, if He is willing.

In our prayers today, don't forget to offer God the praise that He deserves! May our praises be as a sweet smelling aroma to the Lord.