Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful. O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King. Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. —Psalm 149:1-3

What is it about praise that is so powerful? Why are we so strongly exhorted in so many scriptures to praise the Lord? First, praise blesses God. When His people praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp, the Lord takes delight in them (Psalm 149:4). We bless Him when we dance, clap, rejoice, and are glad in Him. The saints should ever “rejoice in his honor” and “sing for joy as they lie on their beds” (v. 5). Second, praise engages mighty warfare against the enemy. If it is our honor to praise the Lord, then it is our glory to put our enemies to flight through praise (v. 9). Praise has the power “to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains” (v. 8). As we praise God, the sentence upon our enemies as written in the Word of God is executed. Never underestimate the power of praise. King Hezekiah’s simple worship and prayer brought the angel of the Lord into his situation. In one night, the angel killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, and Judah was delivered from the enemy’s hands (2 Kings 19:35). Praise ye the Lord!