Yadah Praise

For He is good!

Feb 03, 2025

And each morning and evening they stood before the Lord to sing songs of thanks and praise to him.

According to Strong’s Concordance, "yadah" is defined as: to give thanks, to praise, or to confess, and it involves a heartfelt expression of reverence and adoration, often accompanied by physical gestures such as raising hands. In other words, Yadah looks a lot like worship. To give God a Tehillah praise, you simply had to sing about how great God is, this requires only surface knowledge of who God is.

On the other hand, to give God a Yadah praise, you need to know God intimately. You need to know his character, which requires you to spend time reading His Word and communicating with him in prayer. The closer you are to God, the more affection you will feel toward him. Your deep gratitude for all of the things he has done will cause you to feel affection and adoration, naturally producing a physical response. Just like seeing someone you really like after a period of separation, the natural physical response is to open your arms for a hug. When you feel deep in your heart a reverence and adoration for God, the natural physical response is to raise your hand(s).

When King David appointed ministers to praise God in front of the Ark of the Covenant, they gave God a Yadah Praise:

'Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. '

1 Chronicles 16:8,10,25,29,34

There is no wrong way to sincerely give God a Yadah Praise. You can lift one hand or two, over your head, out in front, or out to the side. Give God thanks for the things he has done today. Let’s Yadah!