As a child I used to love going to the cinema (and still do!). It was always a great family outing which didn’t stop once the film was over. On the way hame and for a time afterwards we’d go over our favourite bits of the film: “I liked the bit where…”, “What about when…”, “Do you remember…” and so on. It was a great part of the whole experience and to keep it going we’d end up repeating the whole film – though not necessarily in the order we’d seen it! 

(For the avoidance of doubt – my all time favourite, and probably the greatest film ever made, is The Great Race. No discussion necessary, that’s simply a fact)

I recently came across this quote from C S Lewis, in the context of praising God, where he realised that enjoyment overflows into praise: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.” (Reflections on the Psalms)

So the act of praise completes the enjoyment – that’s what was going on in our cinema trips. Our enjoyment of the film wouldn’t have been complete without ‘praising’ it, going over and re-telling the bits we liked.

When we apply that to praising God, it means that the act of praise completes our enjoyment of him. 

For many hundreds of year, the church has used Catechisms as a means of teaching – particularly with young people. They’re not so popular these days, but they’re an early form of FAQs on the Christian faith. The first question in one of the more well-known ones, the Westminster Shorter Catechism (written in 1647), is this: “What is the chief end of man?” And the answer is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”.

There a relatively new catechism called the New City Catechism (written in 2012 – so the language is up to date!). It arrives at the same answer via two questions.

The 4th question is “How and why did God create us?” answered with “God created us … to know him, love him live with him and glorify him”; and the 6th question is “How can we glorify God?” Answered with “We glorify God by enjoying him…”.

In other words, we were created to enjoy God. Which in turn means that we were created to praise God.

There’s going to be a lot of praise going on in heaven. Take a look at Revelation 4 and 5. Here we see several reasons for praise – 

• “you created all things” (Rev 4:11)
• “you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God” (Rev 5:9)
• “and made them a kingdom of priests to our God” (Rev 5:10)
• “worthy is the Lamb who was slain: (Rev 5:12)
• “to him who sits on the throne” (Rev 5:13)

The praise here is not just a re-telling of what Jesus has done- though it clearly includes that in abundance – but is the giving of “power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing”. Pretty much everything that we are and have. Reminiscent of the greatest commandment “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).

But not just in heaven. We have the privilege of being able to praise God in the here and now. That can, and should, take many forms. If we are fortunate enough to experience a miracle, we will certainly want to praise God in worship and in telling others. But most of the time we don’t experience miracles. That should not stop us praising God though. Jesus told us to consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. (Matt 6:25-30). Not just because they are praiseworthy as creations of God (though they are), but as an antidote to anxiety (if God looks after this things, how much more will he look after you) which releases us to enjoy God.

Our modern culture pulls us in the opposite direction, telling us that things just happen by chance or according to impersonal laws. But the Bible will have none of that. It is God who makes the grass grow (Psalm 147:8), God brings forth the wind (Psalm 135:7) and rebukes it (Luke 8:24), he clothes the grass and feeds the birds (Matt 6), he even oversees their deaths (Matt 10:29-31).  

Hebrews 1:3 and Colossians 1:17 speak of Jesus holding and upholding all things. It seems to me that the more we understand and see how God is intimately and always involved in his creation (including us!), then the more we will be driven to praise, and the more we will enjoy God.

(See also Psalm 16:11)