This word 'praise' in Hebrew is 'tehillah', from the word 'haw-lal', which means 'to be loud and clear, to shine, to celebrate, to boast about God (His greatness), to make His name great (high above all else)'.
Let's go to the Hebrew alphabets ('alefbet') for this word 'haw-lal' now:
The consonants are 'h-l-l' (Hey-Lamed-Lamed).
'Hey' speaks of God's grace (i.e. supply, ability), blessing, and anointing;
and 'Lamed' is a 'picture' of a 'shepherd's staff, or rod', and is a sign of 'authority'. 'Lamed' can also mean 'to point forward, or to move forward with the authority of God'.
People of God, as you praise ('tehillah') the Lord, He will also supply you with the authority to point forward, or to move forward! Praise releases authority! Just as Moses raised his rod and the Red Sea miraculously opened, your praises will also release authority in the spiritual realm that causes breakthroughs and doors to be opened!
So, what is praise? Simply put it, to make His name great in your life! Yes, and high above all else, and over every situation in your life. 'He is great and greatly to be praised...' (Psalm 96:4).
The Bible also says 'God is enthroned in the praises ('tehillah') of Israel' (Psalm 22:3). In other words, He becomes King (in and over your life) when you praise Him! The enemy (the forces of darkness) may be trying to ‘spew poison’ against you, and will also do anything to try to dominate you, but God already has an answer for you this day! The answer is in your praises! Begin praising the Lord, and keep on praising Him! Because when you praise, He, the Lion of Judah is enthroned. 'Lion' speaks of 'authority and dominion'. The real authority and dominion in the spiritual realm is in the Lion of Judah (the king of your praises), and you are in Him! All the words (and works) of the enemy will therefore have to leave when you praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
No wonder the psalmist wrote, 'Seven times a day I praise ('haw-lal') You' (Psalm 119:164). 'Seven times' here is a 'picture' of 'perfection, or continuity'. So, people of God, let the praises of the Lord continually be in your mouth. Amen!
Let's look at the life of David now. He lived to sing praises unto the Lord! You see, like so many other people, David too experienced a 'dead-end' at one time! (see 1 Samuel 21:10-15) He was fleeing from King Saul, but ended up in King Achish's (the king of Gath's) path, who was also hunting for him! By the way, Goliath (whom David slain not too long ago) was this king's blue-eyed boy! So, as you can see, David was a marked man!
And how did David respond in such a 'dead-end' (or 'checkmate') situation? Okay, out of fear, he pretended to be mad! But what else did he do? Psalm 34:1-2 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord..." David began praising ('tehillah') the Lord! And you know what? God somehow opened a door of escape for him to the cave of Adullam! Not only that, God's authority was also with him, as he then raised up a new army of warriors from among those who were in distress, in debt, and discontented (1 Samuel 22:1-2). Praise the Lord!
So, people of God, for you too, how do you respond when you find yourself in a 'dead-end' road (or 'checkmate' situation)? You praise the Lord! What do you do 'when the going gets tough' in life? You praise the Lord! And what do you do if you find yourself stagnated and unable to move forward in life? You praise the Lord too! Let the praises of the Lord be released into the air loud and clear, in spite of what happens!
Recently, I heard these words from the Lord during a time of praise and worship:
"This whole month, as you praise, you're going to see things moving into order for your life. You're also going to see authority and doors being opened for you supernaturally. So, keep praising, no matter what. Never quit praising. Your praises unto Me will open a supply of My direction, revelation, and authority. Your praises will be the key to a year of authority and open door, and for heavenly wisdom to be released on you even as you move forward into the next stage of your life!"
Another Hebrew word for 'praise' is found in 2 Chronicles 20:21. It says, 'And when Jehoshaphat had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise ('ya-dah') the Lord, for His mercy endures forever."'
Let's go to the Hebrew alphabets (alefbet) for this word 'ya-dah' now:
The consonants are 'y-d-h' (Yud-Dalet-Hey).
'Yud' is a 'picture' of 'hand';
'Dalet' is a picture' of 'door';
and of course, 'Hey' speaks of God's grace (i.e. supply, ability), blessing, and anointing.
Therefore, 'ya-dah' (Yud-Dalet-Hey) means 'the hand of God that opens the door to grace (i.e. supply, ability),
blessing, and anointing for your life'. And that's exactly what happened to Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah those days! (see 2 Chronicles 20:1-30) When all of Judah were surrounded by a great multitude to come and battle against them, Jehoshaphat was instructed by the Lord to send out the singers and musicians to the front-line! (2 Chronicles 20:21) And when they began to sing praises, the Lord supernaturally set ambushes against all their enemies who got so confused they 'self-destruct' one another! (2 Chronicles 20:22-23) See His authority over the enemies at work here? Not just that, His hand then also opened the door for them to take away the spoils (valuables and precious jewelry) of the enemies. In short, He opened the door of blessing ('berachah') for them as well. Praise the Lord!
Let's look at another example now, and this time in the New Testament. When Paul and Silas were put into a prison at Philippi, instead of feeling sorry or angry, they began singing praises unto God! (see Acts 16:25 KJV). I like the word 'praise' here in Greek. It is pronounced as 'arete', which means 'to speak excellence (of God), to declare bravely (like a man), or to roar with a loud voice'. God then caused an earthquake, and all the doors of the prison were opened (Acts 16:26). The keeper of the prison, upon seeing this, and supposing all the prisoners had fled, tried to kill himself, but Paul and Silas stopped him. Falling down and trembling before them, he then asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (see Acts 16:27-31) He and his whole family were then baptized on that same night! (Acts 16:33) Well, again, that's God's authority at work! Praise the Lord!
In conclusion, no matter how big your challenges may be at the moment, take heart, because there's an answer! Begin praising the Lord and keep on praising like David, Jehoshaphat, or Paul and Silas did. He is still the same mighty God, the Lion of Judah, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). And the praises that come forth from your mouth will also release His authority over that very situation of yours, and open the door of His supply, ability, blessing, and anointing for you, just as He did for His people those days. Amen!
