What does the Bible say

What Does the Bible Say About Praise?

The Bible overflows with calls to praise God, to declare his greatness and give thanks in every season. It says God inhabits the praises of his people, that praise is fitting and good, and that everything with breath should praise the LORD. Praise lifts our eyes off ourselves and onto God, and it is often the doorway from despair into hope.

What Scripture says

Here are real verses on praise, each in the King James Version, with a word on what it means.

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.Psalm 150:6 (KJV)

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.Psalm 34:1 (KJV)

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.Hebrews 13:15 (KJV)

Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, the fruit of our lips.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.Psalm 100:4 (KJV)

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.Psalm 147:1 (KJV)

It is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant, and praise is comely.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.Acts 16:25 (KJV)

At midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God in prison.

What this means for you today

Praise is not pretending everything is fine; Paul and Silas sang in a prison cell. It is choosing to declare who God is even in the dark, which lifts our gaze from our troubles to the One who is greater.

Praise is called a sacrifice because it is not always easy or convenient. Yet Scripture treats it as fitting, healthy, and powerful, a way of aligning our hearts with the truth about God whatever our circumstances.

The deepest answer is Jesus

Jesus is worthy of all praise, and one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess him Lord; praise now joins us to that eternal song.

Every one of these Scriptures points beyond itself to a Person. The deepest answer the Bible gives to any human need is not a rule or a technique but Jesus Christ, who came, lived, died, and rose again so that you could be forgiven and brought home to God. He said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Whatever you are carrying, you do not have to carry it alone, and you do not have to make yourself clean first. You can come to him today, just as you are.

This is the good news the whole Bible is telling. We were made for God, we have all turned from him and gone our own way, and none of us can fix that on our own. But God did not leave us there. Out of love he sent his Son to take our place, bearing our wrong on the cross and rising again to open the way back to the Father. Everyone who turns to Jesus and trusts him is forgiven, given new life, and welcomed as a beloved child of God, held by a love that will never let go. That is why the Bible's answer to every topic on this page finally leads here. You can respond right now, in your own words, simply telling God you need him and asking Jesus to be your Saviour and Lord. He hears the honest prayer of anyone who comes.

Related: God's Will · God's Timing · Hearing God's Voice · Spiritual Growth · Assurance of Salvation · All topics