Offering God our PRAISE!

 

As negative, worrisome news pummels our ears, the last thing we might feel like doing is praise! But that’s the very reason the Bible encourages us to “offer to God a sacrifice of praise.”

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name,” Hebrews 13:15, New International Version (NIV.)

Some time ago, I asked, “Is there something You want me to do, Lord?” and, immediately, the word “Praise” came to mind. Having been raised in a polite Christian family, the inclination to thank God and people came easily enough, but praise? Frankly, I wasn’t sure I knew what praising God truly meant – or at least how it differed from thanksgiving.

After looking up several dictionary definitions, I saw praise as expressing approval more than the appreciation shown in giving thanks. Praise  commends, lauds, and says good things – not with gratitude in mind so much as acknowledgement, commendation, and re-commendation. Or, to say it another way, praise focuses on Who God Is, more than what God does. Praise pours out our love to the Lord.

The Psalms provide wonderful examples of ways to praise, pray, thank God – and lament. A closer than usual study of those priceless poems shows that almost all of the lamentations begin with a concern or complaint but end with purposeful thanks or praise. That uplift at the end exemplifies a strong faith in God, despite the circumstances, and also shows how a poured-out-heart must remain completely honest and wholly vulnerable.

Ready to praise but not particularly practiced, I immediately sensed God’s help as relevant thoughts and phrases caught my attention each morning. Once I had typed those beginning lines in a computer file, other thoughts and lines swiftly followed – somewhat like a stream-of-consciousness flow, but more “subconscious” or even “unconscious” of what might come next.

Spontaneity remained key–often with a phrase that startled me or an insight God gave in thoughts I’d never had before the poem gained my attention. So my “method” became an intent to obey, rather than create, as I wrote down each spontaneous thought or phrase with the anticipation that the rest of the words would freely follow. Usually they did, sometimes even exploding onto the page. Other times they seemed more reflective, depending, perhaps, on my mood or something God wanted me to consider as I wrote to discover what the lines had to say. For instance:

Praise God our Praise

without Whom
there is none:

no cause for joy,
no source of love,
no hope of peace.

Praise God Who Dwells
in us and around us –
enthroned on our praises
– uplifting our days.

 

Maybe you’ll prefer to call such poems“ meditations.” Maybe you’ll see them as prayers. Or maybe, as you offer up your praises to God, you’ll be stunned by the unexpected thoughts and ragged edges that come to mind. Write them down – especially if you don’t feel like it!

Praise God, the Rock

under Whom I crawl
when I feel low,
the Rock I climb
to get a higher view.

May the Lord bless you and your life of purposeful praise, whether joyful or sacrificial.

 

Mary Harwell Sayler

Note: The above poems and text came from the introduction to my book PRAISE! published by Cladach Publishing.

 

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How To Wear A Poem

Regardless of your shape or size, putting on an appealing poem begins with a foundation of naturally firm but willowy lines or with an artificial yet artistic means of getting those natural lines into a traditionally pleasing shape. Various schools of poetry may disagree, but either way works. So, if you’re a highly gifted poet with a natural eye or ear for poetry, you and free verse will probably go nicely together. Or, if you’re a highly gifted poet with a natural eye and poetic ear, you might dress up well with an extraordinary use of traditional verse forms.

Before you wear yourself out with a poetic style you don’t like, consider what types of poetry you most like to wear when you’re reading. Is this the type of poem you would like to put on or show off or quietly carry over your shoulder like a shawl? Do you look good in those colorful images? Do you like to put on your dancing shoes of rhyme or regular rhyme? Can you pull off wearing bling in the sometimes flashy patterns of in end-line rhymes? Or do you prefer to tone it down by scattering rhyme freely into free verse, but not in predictable patterns?

If you’re more concerned about content, rather than a stylish form, you can tailor that preference to yourself too, wearing either free verse or traditional metered poetry such as the sonnet, villanelle, or sestina. It just depends on what appeals to you. So whatever you want to wear, be sure the poetic style fits you.

As you learn to wear your poems well, check the mirror for masters of that particular form or type of free verse. Don’t just study contemporary poets whose work you like the look of, but also scan old catalogs of classical poets who wrote with style throughout the centuries. Even if you opt for the bargain price of packing rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and social commentary into the vintage pattern of a sonnet, as countless poets have done, your voice, your fresh idea, your apt comparison, your poetic face can make an outmoded fashion look new and “in” again.


[For more about writing, revising, and marketing your poems, visit the Poetry Editor blog .]