Praise Principles: Lessons From Psalm 147

By Harold Vaughan

Psalm 147 stands among the great “Hallelujah Psalms”—songs that both begin and endwith the same ringing command: “Praise the LORD.” These psalms teach us something profound: praise is not an accessory to faith; it is its natural language. When God is clearly seen, praise is the only response that makes sense.

Psalm 147 is packed with timeless praise principles—truths that recalibrate the heart, renew the mind and realign our lives with heaven’s perspective.

Praise Principle 1: Praise Is the Proper Response to Greatness

“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5).

Silence in the presence of greatness is not humility; it is ingratitude. Wherever greatness is revealed, praise is required. Praise is the echo of God’s greatness from the human soul.

Psalm 147 unfolds God’s greatness layer by layer:

• He builds and gathers His people (v2)
• He heals broken hearts and binds wounds (v3)
• He numbers the stars and calls each one by name (v4)
• He governs nature, commands the weather, and sustains all creation

Praise is the only response that coincides with the magnitude of such a God.

When God is properly viewed, praise naturally follows. Clear vision makes praise mandatory.

As one reformer observed, “Where there is no praise, there is no true perception of God.”Another voice echoed the same truth, saying, “Praise does not cease because God is no longer great, but because we have lost sight of His greatness.”

When a believer encounters God, not merely ideas about Him, but the living God Himself, praise becomes instinctive. Awe demands expression. Revelation fuels exaltation. Clearly, praise is the only proper response to Greatness.

Praise Principle 2: Praise Is Pleasant

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

Praise feels right to the redeemed. It is fitting, becoming and deeply satisfying. While fasting disciplines the body through denial, praise thrills the soul with delight. Praise is a happy discipline. It is pleasant.

We praise what we enjoy, and redeemed hearts enjoy God. That’s why praise resonates so deeply with those who have tasted His grace. It is not forced, it just flows.

When life presses in, we face a choice:

• Panic or praise
• Frustration or thanksgiving

Continual praise doesn’t just lift the spirit; it reshapes the mind. Repetition trains perception. Just as negative habits carve deep ruts in the soul, praise creates new pathways of hope and gratitude. We can rewrite the hardware of our minds with continual praise.

Grumbling conditions the heart toward despair, but praise conditions the soul toward peace.

A praising heart finds comfort in any circumstance. A murmuring heart finds comfort in nothing.

David understood this. He didn’t wait for perfect conditions—he decided in advance: “I will bless the LORD at all times.” Not occasionally. Not emotionally. Continually.

Praise is not the denial of pain; it is a declaration of trust. It says God is bigger than our problems, more faithful than our fears and worthy of our confidence.

Praise Principle 3: Praise Is the Heart Response That Pleases God

“The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Ps. 147:11).

God is not impressed by human strength, performance, or self-reliance. But He delights in humble trust, and praise is its purest expression.

Praise is heaven’s applause. God inhabits it. He dwells in it. Praise is not merely something we offer—it is God’s address. In fact, God inhabits the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3). Praise is where He is found.

Where praise rises, God abides. Praise is the atmosphere of heaven brought into time. It aligns our hearts with God’s rule and shifts our focus from circumstances to His glory.

When praise precedes petition, perspective changes and problems shrink as God grows larger in our sight.

Praise fixes our gaze on Him rather than our challenges.

Heaven itself is loud with praise—not restrained, not reserved, but vibrant and unashamed. The noise of heaven is explained by the greatness of the Lamb.

In Revelation chapter five, John was caught up and saw scores of angels and elders before God’s throne. With loud and thundering voices, they shouted—“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (v5). The only explanation for heaven’s noise is the greatness of God.

If praise feels unfamiliar on earth, heaven may come as a shock. But we can prepare now by cultivating a lifestyle of wholehearted worship.

Praise Principle 4: Praise Is the Only Correct Response to Favor

“He hath not dealt so with any nation… Praise ye the LORD” (Ps. 147:20).

Praise cures blessing blindness. Israel’s history was marked by divine favor as they were chosen, protected, revealed truth to and visited by God. Favor demanded praise.

The same is true for believers today. We are called, chosen, redeemed, forgiven and brought into marvelous light.

Favor without praise is forgetfulness.

Mercy calls for praise. Forgiveness calls for praise. Grace demands expressive praise.

Praise attracts God’s presence. When God’s people lift their voices in unified exaltation, His glory fills the house. Praise creates an atmosphere where God reveals Himself and where the enemy cannot remain.

Praise is like a magnet— drawing God near and driving the darkness away. Revival flourishes where praise is unrestrained, because unrestrained praise is heaven’s native air.

Living Out the Praise Principles

• Respond to God’s greatness with deliberate, abundant praise.
• Respond to God’s favor with joyful thanksgiving.
• Train your soul to bless the Lord at all times.
• Choose praise until it becomes your reflex.
• Get beyond blessing blindness with eyes wide open to divine favor.

Praise is not a burden laid upon us—it is a delight released within us. When we exalt the Lord, He lifts us up. When we praise Him for what is and for what will be, our hearts are aligned with heaven.

Let praise begin and end where it belongs: on the lips of a people who have truly seen their God.

This excerpt was taken from Harold’s book “Ablaze: 21-Day Praise Challenge.”

Get your copy today!