From Gary... Praise

Praise**, now there is a word we all want more of. In a world where it is almost "normal" (?) to raise oneself up by putting others down, at times genuine praise seems almost like a foreign concept. Then, there is eternity. At the center of forever- there is God. Divine, unique, loving, just, omniscient, omnipotent, pure and probably a thousand other things beyond my feeble comprehension. He has always been worthy of praise and will be so forever!!!  When I think about this graphic, I naturally think of the 148th Psalm (and the 148th song in our songbook), but this is picture is only about the first four verses!!! So, lets look at the remainder of it, just for fun....

Psalm 148

  1 Praise Yah!
Praise Yahweh from the heavens!
Praise him in the heights!  2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all his army!
  3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you shining stars!
  4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens,
You waters that are above the heavens.
  5 Let them praise Yahweh’s name,
For he commanded, and they were created.
  6 He has also established them forever and ever.
He has made a decree which will not pass away.
  7 Praise Yahweh from the earth,
you great sea creatures, and all depths!
  8 Lightning and hail, snow and clouds;
stormy wind, fulfilling his word;
  9 mountains and all hills;
fruit trees and all cedars;
  10 wild animals and all livestock;
small creatures and flying birds;
  11 kings of the earth and all peoples;
princes and all judges of the earth;
  12 both young men and maidens;
old men and children:
  13 let them praise Yahweh’s name,
for his name alone is exalted.
His glory is above the earth and the heavens.
  14 He has lifted up the horn of his people,
the praise of all his saints;
even of the children of Israel, a people near to him.
Praise Yah!

(The World English Bible)

Let all the created universe praise God!!! And the rest of the Psalm extends that which should praise God from the heavenlies to Earthly sources of praise.  From the heavens above, to the deepest depths of the oceans, from the humblest creature abiding there, to the pinnacle of his creation, formed in the Almighty's own image, all should praise God!!! This life can be wonderful (and often is), but without God- it is NOTHING!!! Today, forget about your troubles, problems, goals, etc.. (for a little while, at least) and spend some time thinking about God- and PRAISE HIM (Because HE deserves it)!!!!

PS- You probably noticed the**  at the beginning of the post; it points to some information about praise listed below.  Not many surprises, but I had not realized that there were so many words associated with the word praise (165 listed at the very bottom)

**The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)
Praise Praise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Praised; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Praising.] [OE. preisen, OF. preisier, prisier, F. priser,
   L. pretiare to prize, fr. pretium price. See Price, n., and
   cf. Appreciate, Praise, n., Prize, v.]
   1. To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of; to
      laud; -- applied to a person or his acts. "I praise well
      thy wit." --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

            Let her own works praise her in the gates. --Prov.
                                                  xxxi. 31.
      [1913 Webster]

            We praise not Hector, though his name, we know,
            Is great in arms; 't is hard to praise a foe.
                                                  --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on
      account of perfections or excellent works; to do honor to;
      to display the excellence of; -- applied especially to the
      Divine Being.
      [1913 Webster]

            Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all
            his hosts!                            --Ps. cxlviii.
                                                  2.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To value; to appraise. [Obs.] --Piers Plowman.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: To commend; laud; eulogize; celebrate; glorify; magnify.

   Usage: To Praise, Applaud, Extol. To praise is to set
          at high price; to applaud is to greet with clapping;
          to extol is to bear aloft, to exalt. We may praise in
          the exercise of calm judgment; we usually applaud from
          impulse, and on account of some specific act; we extol
          under the influence of high admiration, and usually in
          strong, if not extravagant, language.
          [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)
Praise Praise, n. [OE. preis, OF. preis price, worth, value,
   estimation. See Praise, v., Price.]
   1. Commendation for worth; approval expressed; honor rendered
      because of excellence or worth; laudation; approbation.
      [1913 Webster]

            There are men who always confound the praise of
            goodness with the practice.           --Rambler.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: Praise may be expressed by an individual, and thus
         differs from fame, renown, and celebrity, which are
         always the expression of the approbation of numbers, or
         public commendation.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. Especially, the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage
      rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or
      extolling the Creator; worship, particularly worship by
      song, distinction from prayer and other acts of worship;
      as, a service of praise.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. The object, ground, or reason of praise.
      [1913 Webster]

            He is thy praise, and he is thy God.  --Deut. x.??.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Encomium; honor; eulogy; panegyric; plaudit; applause;
        acclaim; eclat; commendation; laudation.
        [1913 Webster]


WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) (wn)
praise
    n 1: an expression of approval and commendation; "he always
         appreciated praise for his work" [syn: praise,
         congratulations, kudos, extolment]
    2: offering words of homage as an act of worship; "they sang a
       hymn of praise to God"
    v 1: express approval of; "The parents praised their children
         for their academic performance" [ant: criticise,
         criticize, knock, pick apart]


Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 (moby-thes)
165 Moby Thesaurus words for "praise":
   acclaim, acclamation, accolade, acknowledgment, adoration, adore,
   adulate, adulation, aggrandize, apotheosis, apotheosize, applaud,
   applause, approbation, approval, approve, belaud, benediction,
   bepraise, bepraisement, beslobber, beslubber, blandish,
   blandishment, blarney, bless, bless the Lord, blow up, boast of,
   brag about, bunkum, cajole, cajolement, cajolery, celebrate,
   citation, cite, cognizance, commend, commendation, compliment,
   compliments, conceit, congratulation, credit, crediting, crown,
   crown with laurel, cry up, decorate, deification, deify, devotion,
   dignify, distinguish, do honor, doxologize, eloge, emblazon,
   encomium, endorse, endorsement, enhance, ennoble, erect, eulogium,
   eulogize, eulogy, exalt, exaltation, excessive praise, extol,
   eyewash, fair words, fawn upon, fawning, flatter, flattery,
   glorification, glorify, glorify the Lord, glory, grace, grease,
   hail, hallow, heighten, hero worship, hero-worship, homage,
   hommage, honeyed phrases, honeyed words, honor, honorable mention,
   hosanna, hymn, hymn of praise, idolatry, idolize, idolizing,
   incense, intensify, kudos, laud, laudation, lionize, lionizing,
   magnification, magnify, make fair weather, make much of,
   meed of praise, mention, oil, oil the tongue, ovation, overpraise,
   paean, palaver, panegyric, panegyrize, pay homage to,
   pay regard to, pay tribute, pay tribute to, plaudits,
   porter aux nues, praise God, prayer of thanks, pretty lies,
   proclaim, psalm, psalmody, puff, puff up, recognition, recommend,
   render honor to, resound, revere, reverence, revile, salute,
   sing praises, slobber over, soap, soft soap, sublime,
   sweet nothings, sweet talk, sweet words, sycophancy,
   thank offering, thank-you, thanks, thanksgiving, tribute, trumpet,
   uprear, venerate, veneration, wheedle, wheedling, worship