Why do we praise God?

Why do you praise God?

It sounds like a straightforward question. We are Christians, after all. Of course, we praise God.

But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you praise Him?

Sometimes, without even realising it, our relationship with God can begin to look like a transaction. We serve God because we want Him to bless us. We pray because we want Him to answer our requests. We give because we are expecting something in return. We praise because there is something we desperately want God to do for us.

And there is nothing wrong with asking God for things. Scripture encourages us to bring our requests before Him. God cares about our needs, desires and circumstances.

But what happens when the thing you are asking for doesn’t come?

Will you still praise Him?

The Bible gives us a different picture of why God deserves our praise. Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power.”

Psalm 29:2 tells us to “give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name.” There is something that is due to God simply because of who He is.

Think about it. If you are praising God because you need a job, what happens when the job doesn’t come? If you are praising because you want healing, what happens when the answer takes longer than you expected? If you are giving because you want a particular financial breakthrough, what happens when your circumstances remain the same?

Does God suddenly become less worthy?

Habakkuk gives us a powerful example. He describes a situation where the expected harvest and provision were absent, yet he still says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD” (Habakkuk 3:18).

That is a different kind of praise.

It is praise that isn’t dependent on getting everything we asked for.

And perhaps we need to remember what has already been given to us.

We have Christ.

The salvation we have received through Jesus is something we could never repay. We could spend a thousand lifetimes serving, giving, praying and praising, and still never place God in our debt. Our worship isn’t an instalment towards repaying Jesus for the cross. It is our response to the grace we have already received.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask God for blessings. We can ask. We can hope. We can believe. We can pray for healing, provision, open doors and breakthroughs.

So perhaps today, we should reevaluate why we do the things we do.

Is it primarily because of what you hope to receive from Him?

Or because you have come to know that He is worthy?

Because even when the answer is “no,” even when the blessing hasn’t arrived, and even when the prayer is still unanswered, God remains God. And He remains worthy.