Digging Wells: The Well of Praise

Praise is not just something we do because we’re supposed to. It is a well we can dig again and again, creating a deep reservoir and a source of strength that never runs dry.

Early on in my walk with the Lord, I began building a well of praise. I didn’t realize it then, but every moment I spent lifting my voice in worship, exalting the name of the Lord, choosing joy over pain, even weeping as I worshipped alone in my car, I was digging that well. And it has carried me through many seasons of life, as I’ve returned to it again and again.

In the most difficult times, I have made myself praise. Sometimes it shifted my perspective. Often it filled me with joy that made no sense, but bubbled up to overflowing. And many times, it lifted me out of the situation itself. Praise always does 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 Him.

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 us 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 made way for breakthrough, and it still does the same today.

The Language of Praise

We know that praise and worship are meant to be part of our everyday lives. We can praise the Lord in our prayers, in our speech, and in our songs.

But the word praise in the English Bible has been translated from seven different Hebrew words that carry far more depth than our limited English understanding. While this is just a brief overview, it offers a glimpse into the rich and varied expressions of praise found throughout Scripture.

Yadah — to raise your hands.

Towdah — thanksgiving and the extension of one’s hand.

Barak — to kneel and to bless.

Tehillah — spontaneous, unrehearsed song that bubbles up from a grateful heart.

Zamar — to pluck the strings and celebrate in song and music.

Halal — to be clamorously foolish, stepping outside our dignity to express joy, like David when he danced before the Lord.

Shabach — to address in a loud tone, with a sense of freedom or triumph.

The Power of Singing and Dancing

There are many ways to praise the Lord, but I want to highlight singing and dancing. The Psalms 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 feel 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’s 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.

The Well of Joy

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 worshipped in my car. Sometimes I would weep, undone by His presence; other times I would laugh from deep within my belly. Many times I joined with the body of Christ, at youth retreats, Sunday services, Encounter nights, or church camps, and His joy would be poured out over His people as we praised and danced and sang to Him.

And now, no matter the season, I return to that same well as often as I can, and He meets me there. Praise to the Lord is always returned with a gift: joy, strength, clarity, victory.

Lessons From a Life of Praise

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.

Over the years, I’ve learned that:

• 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 in truth.

• Praise impacts the atmosphere around us.

• We praise as a celebration.

• We praise as a love offering to our Lord.

Drawing from the Well

When cultivating a lifestyle of praise, it can be hard to know how to start. We can feel awkward or unsure of what to say. In those moments, I find it helpful to start by praising God for who He is—for His love, His goodness, His greatness, His kindness, His majesty, His grace, and for every answered prayer.

We can use the Word, singing the Psalms back to Him, and praising Him in every way we can:

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.

This week, find a moment each day to actively choose praise—whether through singing a song 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.

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