What is genuine praise?
There are many cute videos and frames on the web of dogs trained to “say grace” before meals. The owner prays on their behalf, and may include such phrases as “help me be a good dog today and not bark at other dogs”! The dogs have learned one word from these prayers – “Amen” at which they wolf their food!
Some stills and videos show animals in poses we are tempted to interpret as praise.
In an ecstasy of worship the psalmist said:
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" (Psalm 150:6). And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever! (Rev 5:13)
That’s all well and good for creatures which have life and breath. But Jesus said that even rocks might cry out if praise was stifled. I say we should help even the inanimate things without breath to praise, but I think such objects need a lot of human help. I reflect however, that by simply typing Praise God! this page has become a minor channel of praise.
I have set up on my inanimate laptop an MS Word file which simply contains the large red words Praise God. This file is always open even when I work on something else. In some way my laptop is praising the Lord and when I close down any other open program, Praise God appears again.
What other ways could we help the inanimate do this?