The Power of Praise
by Gail M. Hayes, Pd.D

Praise is powerful. In Psalms 119:164, the psalmist says that he praised God seven times a day because he loved God's righteous judgments. The biblical meaning of the number seven is completeness or perfection. Knowing this, I believe the psalmist sought completion and perfection in his praise. He believed that if he stopped seven times a day and focused just on the Lord, his day would have a perfect and complete end.

There are those of us who shrug our shoulders because we praise Him more than seven times a day and feel no need for a numberical evaluation of our praise. Some of us display our spirituality by lacing our language with Christianese and ending our sentences with a Praise the Lord, Hallelujah or an Amen. We use these beautiful expressions of worship, as sentence fillers, minimizing their true meaning. Many of us even look down on others whose expression of praise does not meet our strict standards.

I do not believe the psalmist wrote this as a verse of judgment. He wrote this verse, led by the Holy Spirit, who used this as an example for us. In other words, because the psalmist knew the Lord as Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord his Righteousness, he gave the Father seven praises so intense that they shook the forces of evil. Because he knew the Lord as Jehovah Jireh, His Provider, he gave the Lord seven praises so mighty that they caused hemorrhaging in the realms of darkness. Because he knew the Lord as Jehovah Rapha, The Lord, his Healer, he gave the Lord seven praises so rich that they sent waves of worship to God's throne and made the angels rejoice. I believe that the enemy comes several times daily, trying to rope us into bondage. When we stop and praise our Father, there is a continuous destruction of those yokes.

Many of us do not believe that we can praise the Father in the workplace. It is not the volume of our praise that shakes hell and moves heaven, but the intensity. Some believe that unless we shout at the top of our lungs, it is not true praise. God's ears are open not only to our mouths, but also to our hearts. You can sit at your cubicle and anoint the Father with the oil of joy. God is so awesome, that He can send angels to cover the ears of your coworkers, if you turn up the volume.

If you have a private office, you can lift up holy hands and dance before Him. It is the richness of the praise that touches His heart and brings Him joy. You reach perfected praise when you stand in His presence and give yourself to Him, shutting everything out. You reach perfected praised when you become a heat seeking missile, attacking the target of His presence. He wants the full force of your praise.  He can handle anything that you throw His way.

My prayer is that you experience perfection by giving God seven intense praises today. As you anoint Him with praise, He will anoint you with wisdom and fill you with godly power. As you stand into the royal court and pour out your heart to Him, all the strife of this world will become a fading, distant drum beat on the riverbanks of your soul. He stands waiting.

Copyright 2002 -- Gail M. Hayes, Ph.D. - All rights reserved under international copyright laws.

About the Author

Gail M. Hayes, Ph.D is the Executive Director and founder of Daughters of the King Ministries, Inc. and the Alliance of Women Leaders. She is also the host of Write It! Speak It! Live It! Writers Workshop and Proclaim! Christian Communicators Gathering.

When looking for a writer or speaker who ignites your spirit and creates an atmosphere of inspiration, motivation and contagious enthusiasm, you have but to look directly at Dr. Gail Hayes or Dr. Gail as others affectionately call her. Dr. Gail works tirelessly to help women discover, accept, embrace and walk in their God given purpose and identity.Contact her via email or visit our Web site at Daughters of the King.