How to Pray a Prayer of Praise, part 1 (1 Chron 16.8-36)

O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him,

tell of all his wonderful works.

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Seek the LORD and his strength,

seek his presence continually.

Remember the wonderful works he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

O offspring of his servant Israel,

children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

Remember his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

the covenant that he made with Abraham,

his sworn promise to Isaac,

which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant,

saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

as your portion for an inheritance.”

When they were few in number,

of little account, and strangers in the land,

wandering from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another people,

he allowed no one to oppress them;

he rebuked kings on their account,

saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones;

do my prophets no harm.”

What is a prayer of praise? How do I pray one? How is it different from a prayer of thanksgiving? This praise prayer by the priests of Israel is an excellent model for our own prayers of praise and can be adapted to for our own use. Because of its length, we’ll study it in two parts.

Background

King David and the people of Israel had prepared for the Ark of the Covenant to be returned to Jerusalem. It would be a day of great celebration because this artifact was God’s presence among them—it had led them in the desert and been with them through the conquest of the land, the tribes, and the kingships. In the last chapter, we read that David had the priests offer prayers and hymns to God for the return and rededication of the ark. Following that, the author includes this psalm of praise, which was offered by Asaph—the chief priest and musician. His descendants would become the chief musicians for the Temple.

The prayer of praise was set to music—it became a hymn. Even today, many spiritual songs and hymns are actually prayers being offered to God.

This one may have used some of David’s own prayer songs, written when he was younger. It combines parts of Psalm 96, 105, and 106. Just as scripture can be re-used and applied to later situations, so can prayer and hymns. As Asaph did with David’s prayer-songs, so we can do with this prayer of praise.

Meaning

The prayer begins with the same words as Psalm 105.1-15 (which is a psalm of thanksgiving). It shows the close connection between praise and thanksgiving. For our purposes, we define praise as directed at God for His character and who He is. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is offering thanks for something specific He has done. This definition helps us develop our own prayers and think more deeply about different nuances in prayer. But in the Bible, it is not always so neat and clean. Part of God’s character is that he does things that deserve thanksgiving, and a thanksgiving can easily move into a praise of God’s character.

The first half of this prayer describes what it means to praise God (8-13), and why one should do so (14-18), and what God has done to deserve it (19-22).

A Call to Praise God (8-13)

Psalm 105 calls worshippers to thank God because of the fulfillment of the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about the promised land. Here (8-13), the prayer begins by calling people to “thank” God, but in our terms, this is closer to general praise than specific thanksgiving: “make his deeds known” and “tell of his wonderful works.” The prayer also urges people to glory in “His Name,” again, a way of expressing praise for the kind of God we worship—loving, caring, and giving (even when we do not deserve it). The prayer urges everyone to “seek Him,” and then repeats to call to remember all the things God has done.

Why God Should Be Praised (14–8)

Why should God be praised? This was alluded to in the previous section. Continuing the quotation of Psalm 15, God should be praised because he judges all the earth, he keeps His promises forever (“for a thousand generations”). The prayer then specifically mentions Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—God made a covenant with Abraham, confirmed it with Isaac, and gave it to Jacob/Israel as a law. (Note the triple parallel, which flows rhythmically in Hebrew—prayers can have poetic elements!) Verse 11 closes the second section by stating the promise itself: “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” Here, the praise comes closer to a thanksgiving. The singers are giving thanks to God for giving them the land, for which they now celebrate the coming of the Ark to their capital.

What God Has Done to Deserve Praise (19–22)

The third part of the first half of this prayer concludes with the words of Psalm 105.12-15. The Psalm recounts how God protected the people of Israel even when they were outnumbered by others, wandered the desert, and given no honor. But because of his promise, God kept them safe, allowed no one to oppress them, and when someone tried, He delivered them.

In the prayer offered by Asaph, those words still ring true, but take on new meaning as the people stand, with their king, in their new capitol city, in a new secure nation, and welcome the Ark back to its rightful place among them.

Though these words are specific and sound more like a thanksgiving, they go to who God is—because of his promise. He is a God who keeps his promises. He is a God who protects and saves, even when we ignore or forget Him; even when we betray Him. Always faithful, always dependable, and always with us.

Application

Begin with a call to praise God. Use the same words, or use this prayer as a guideline to write your own. Then, turn to why God should be praised, followed by the specifics of what He has done to deserve it—for Israel and the church, as well as for you, too.

If you are praying alone, you could substitute “I come now to praise You, to make Your deeds know, to celebrate Your wonderful works…” and so on.

You could also praise God for the covenant with Israel, but also for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, and for the modern church, and even our own community of faith.

We can offer the same reasons as this prayer for praising God, too. But we can add our own: he has preserved His church through Roman oppression and many others. He has protected and delivers his church. Today, as many Christians suffer brutality and even death at the hands of others around the world, we can be sure God will deliver his Church and his people.