Digging Wells: The Well of Praise

Praise is not just something we do. It is a well we can dig creating a source of strength that doesn't run dry. Early on in my walk with the Lord, I began building a well of praise. I did not realize it then, but every moment I spent lifting my voice, choosing joy, singing on my way to work, even weeping as I worshipped alone in my car, I was digging. That well has carried me through many seasons. Again and again, I have returned to it. In the most difficult times, I have made myself praise. Sometimes it lifted me out of the situation itself. Other times it shifted my perspective. Often it filled me with joy that made no sense but bubbled up to overflowing. Praise always did something powerful.

On every mountain and in every valley, let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

The subject of praise has always captured my heart. The command to praise God is mentioned about 250 times in the Bible, so it is safe to say that praise is important to God. Sometimes people think praise is the "immature version" of worship, the fast song before the deep and intimate time, but it is not that at all. Praise is powerful. Scripture is full of praise, and it is a profound key in the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah 61:3 tells us that God offers us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” What a gift! And Psalm 100:4 says we are to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Praise is not a warm-up. It is a gateway that ushers into the presence of the King.

Second Chronicles 20:21–22 tells the story of Jehoshaphat appointing men to go out before the army, singing to the Lord and praising Him. As they sang, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies and gave them victory. In this and many other Old Testament battles, praise makes way for breakthrough, and it still does the same today.

We know that praise and worship should be a part of our lifestyle. We can praise the Lord in our prayers. We can praise the Lord in our speech. But the word praise in the English Bible has been translated from seven different Hebrew words that mean so much more than our limited English understanding of praise. While this is just a brief overview, it gives us insight into the many expressions of praise.

• Yadah means to raise your hands.

• Towdah means thanksgiving and an extension of one’s hand.

• Barak means to kneel and to bless.

• Tehillah is singing, but not just any singing. It is spontaneous, unrehearsed song that bubbles up from a grateful heart.

• Zamar means to pluck the strings and celebrate in song and music. This is the most familiar form of praise in our churches today.

• Halal means to be clamorously foolish. It is stepping outside our dignity to express joy, like David did when he danced before the Lord.

• Shabach means to address in a loud tone, often with a sense of freedom or triumph. It is wholehearted, exuberant praise.

There are many ways to praise the Lord, but I want to highlight singing and dancing. The Psalms, especially, are filled with examples of both.

When David brought the Ark of the Covenant back, he danced with all his might before the Lord. The Ark represents the presence of God, and David welcomed it with full-bodied praise. This expression is sometimes unfamiliar in Western culture and can be uncomfortable, but part of Biblical praise is learning to dance before the Lord with all our might. This combination of singing and dancing is powerful. It is not about how we sound or move, but that we do it. The Bible says that every place our foot treads, He will give to us. As we dance before Him, our feet tread on places and on problems declaring praise to our Worthy King over everyone and everything. This is an act of faith and praise, and it brings tremendous liberty.

I have so many beautiful memories of praise, both corporately and on my own. I remember how the joy of the Lord would overflow as I sang and danced around my house, or in my car. Other times I would weep from deep within. I remember how praise would break through during youth retreats. There was a tangible sense of God’s presence when we praised. And even now, no matter the season, I still return to that same well as often as I can. Praise always brings something. Joy. Strength. Clarity. Victory.

I would like to share a few excerpts from Ruth Heflin’s book, Glory: Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven.

She writes,

“Not only does He urge us ‘praise the Lord.’ He tells us to praise with the voice of thanksgiving (Psalm 26:7), with the voice of triumph (Psalm 47:1), with the voice of a psalm (Psalm 98:5), and with the voice of rejoicing (Psalm 118:15).”

She also says,

“A voice of praise is always a voice of victory.”

And my favorite quote of hers is this:

Praise until the spirit of worship comes,

Worship until the glory comes,

Then stand in the glory.

Praise releases joy.

Praise is powerful and is a weapon of warfare.

Praise opens the way for us to move into true worship where we can worship in spirit and truth.

Praise impacts the area you live in.

We praise as a celebration.

We praise as a love offering to our Lord.

Activation: Drawing from the Well

Let us praise God for who He is,

For His love

His goodness

His greatness

His kindness

His majesty

His grace

And for every answered prayer.

Let us sing His praises

Shout His praises

Dance His praises

In the quiet of our rooms and in the company of others

In joy and in heaviness.

Let us build a well of praise with our lives so we have somewhere to draw from in every season that comes.

This week, find a moment each day to actively choose praise—whether through singing a song of praise out loud in your car, dancing before the Lord in your home, or reading aloud a Psalm that praises the name and character of our God. Begin building your own well of praise. As you start to make this part of your life, watch how heaviness lifts and joy begins to bubble up again.

Worthy is the Lord.