Before we go into the topic of Praise, I should like to mention that we often use the term Praise with Worship. We come to praise and worship God…. Our songs in the church are divided into Praise and Worship songs, mostly ‘praise’ to be considered fast songs while ‘worship’ the slower songs. But are these two terms the same? The answer is NO!
While we mention them in one breath they are different.
‘Worship’ according to the Oxford dictionary when used as a verb: a showing of reverence and adoration for a deity, and as a noun: worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity, while we understand: worship is to give worth to…….., to give recognition of the essence of an object (In this case God).
But now back to the topic of ‘Praise’. Where is the word Praise coming from? Its origin is from the Latin word pretium meaning price, over the years it changed to praise, set a price on, attach value to. According to the dictionary ‘Praise’ as a verb is to give honour to, approval, admiration, and express one’s respect and gratitude. As a noun: expression of approval. But let’s look at something I never thought of.
Psalm 150:6 states: “Let every thing that hath neshamah praise Hashem”. (Orthodox Jewish Bible). The Jewish understanding of this bible verse is that your breathing in and out, is praising God. Not so much the words we use to formulate what we want to say or sing, but the phenomenon of breathing, is praising God. (Taken from Israel 365 -inspirations) Have you ever stopped to think about the miracle happening right now, as you read these words? Without conscious effort, your lungs are expanding and contracting, drawing in life-sustaining air and releasing what your body doesn’t need. This automatic process, which we often take for granted, happens roughly 20,000 times a day, orchestrating a beautiful symphony of life within us. The Hebrew word for “all that breathes” (neshama) bears a striking resemblance to the word for “breath” (neshima). This linguistic connection opens up a whole new dimension of understanding – one that transforms our most basic biological function into a spiritual practice.
Think about it: each breath we take is both involuntary and miraculous. Like a hidden metronome, our breathing maintains its steady rhythm whether we’re conscious of it or not. Yet when we bring our attention to this constant companion, something extraordinary happens. The simple act of breathing becomes a gateway to gratitude, a reminder of the divine gift of life itself. Every inhale becomes a moment to receive life’s blessings; every exhale, a chance to express our thankfulness. This perspective revolutionises our relationship with the present moment, turning even the most mundane activities into occasions for divine awareness. We don’t need to set aside hours for meditation or travel to distant monasteries. The tool for transformation is literally right under our nose – our breath. When you breathe, consider the gift of being alive, of having a body that knows exactly what to do to keep you going. Let each breath become a whispered “thank you” – for your health, your loved ones, the beauty around you, or simply for the miracle of existence itself. Each breath is an invitation to pause, to notice, and to express gratitude. In this way, the simple act of breathing becomes more than just a biological function – it becomes a bridge between the physical and the spiritual, a continuous prayer of thanksgiving that requires no words.
When we talk about a verbal expression of praise, we focus more on the use of positive reinforcement in children as well in adults towards positive behaviour, for academic performance or just for a job well done. But what about God ? Do we give him praise to reinforce positive behaviour or to give our approval? Does God need our approval?
Back to Genesis. Adam after the fall; Adam alienated himself from God, in his own mind. God never changed, never left Adam. But Adam perceived God as a far off God who needed to be appeased, to be worshipped and praised through sacrifices etc. Compare this with being One with God, no alienation anymore, yes we give honour, worth, praise to God for who he is and what he has done, for his faithfulness, thanking God for providing, sustaining, salvation, loving etc, or automatic when we breathe. . not to gain his approval, for we already have that, or to give approval to him. Will I be struck down if I never say holy or worthy again. Who is holy and worthy? Who needs to be reminded of that? Us or God? He doesn’t love me more whether I worship or not. Union doesn’t even consider it, because we are in Him and He is us. I find myself more and more just being grateful and thankful and just ‘Be’.
So how do we praise him? And how do we express praise consciously?
We praise him out of our union, with our breathing, God in us, our oneness. It is a lifestyle as mentioned above, autonomic (as breathing), not to be acquired by self achievement or reaching up to God who is far off, but by the oneness in us. Goodness and power and love flows out of us. Therefore, we express this through speaking psalms to one another; burst out in spontaneous celebration songs and spirit inspired resonance. “In your heart do not let the music stop”, as Francois du Toit mentions in Ephesians 5:19 (Mirror Bible), “Through Dance, Art, Creativity, Music, looking after the poor, supporting, helping the weak. Loving people is a passionate and joyful way of life and in this, praise is expressed.” Psalm 66:8 – Youngs: “Bless, ye peoples, our God, And sound the voice of His praise”.
How many times in church have you heard, and I have even said, “God inhabits the praise of his people”. This brings us back to the beginning. He definitely inhabits our breathing. Every breath comes from God. The simple act of breathing becomes a gateway to gratitude, a reminder of the divine gift of life itself. Every inhale becomes a moment to receive life’s blessings; every exhale, a chance to express our thankfulness, this is praise.
