Theme

The attitude of praise in our lives

Questions

• What is praise to God? Would you describe praise as a habit or an attitude (or both)?
• The whole psalm is a praise song of God’s greatness. Look at v.3-7.
  • V.3 tells us that God is great and worthy of praise, but his greatness cannot be grasped – is this a barrier to praise?
  • How is recognising (and praising) God’s greatness connected with recognising his works (v.4-7)?
• In the second half of the psalm (v.8-20) the psalmist describes some of God’s character.
  • Why would understanding and acknowledging God’s character lead to praise?
  • Do you think the way God’s character is described in this psalm is true all of the time? How does this psalm help you to praise when you don’t feel that God is the way he is described?
• Do you find that your circumstances affect you desire and/or your ability to praise God? Why/why not?
• At the beginning (v.1-2) and end of the psalm (v.21) the psalmist makes a decision to praise God (look how many times he says “I will …”). Do you tend to think of praise as a decision or as a feeling?
• Look at Habakkuk 3:17-18.
  • Why do you think Habakkuk chose to praise God despite his circumstances?
  • Does choosing to praise God in difficult circumstances mean that you pretend the circumstances don’t exist, or does it mean something else?
• Verse 4 speaks about one generation telling another about God’s works.
  • Who are some of the people that taught you about the importance of praise, and the things God does which deserve praise?
  • Do you think you have a part to play in sharing praise for what God has done with others (especially the next generation)? How can you do it?
• In Hebrews 13:15 the writer describes praise as a sacrifice. In what ways do you think a habit of praise is a sacrifice?
• How does the description of praise as the “fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb 13:15) reflect the ideas in Psalm 145?
• What one thing can you do to follow the example of this psalm and develop praise as a daily habit in your life? Commit yourself to taking this step – it may help to tell someone else about your decision so they can remind you about it.