Declaring Praises

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

“Praises” can be seen in the same light as declarations or expressions in response to manifestations. The praises of God are our declarations of God’s graces toward us. We are called to declare how God has been dispensing grace to us, making us holy, consecrating us so that we can be used for His purpose, making us blameless, feeding our hope so that we can walk through tough seasons with perseverance. These are the kinds of graces that God has extended to you, inviting you out of darkness and into the light of His salvation.

This is what Peter means when he says you were called out of darkness into the light—so that you can declare the praises of God. We are called to turn people’s attention to Him.

You are called to advertise the powerful, meaningful, extraordinary things that God has done for you, the ways His graces have been dispensed to you. You live as God’s advertisement. You are God’s billboard. You are proof that He is worth surrendering to.

Peter suggests that there’s nothing wrong with your life being an advertisement. We all live advertising something. When God has brought you out of darkness into the light, He invites you to live your life as an advertisement of His acts and His attributes. You are called to live your life so as to turn people’s attention to God. What does your life cause people to pay attention to?

Ask yourself: How many people feel it a necessity to know Christ based on you as the advertisement? In fact, how many people would not even want to go to your church, pray to your God, or read your Bible based on how you advertise the Kingdom?

Declaring praise is us saying: Look at my life and let me tell you that when you look at me, you have to look at the cross. When you look at me, you have to look at the empty tomb. When you look at me, you have to look at miracles and blessings and forgiveness and answered prayer. All of these things are the only reason that I’m here.

It is not only the external display of your life, but helping people to have the right lens of interpretation for how God is dispensing graces in your life. You can’t let people in your life be like the three friends sitting around Job saying, “You must have sinned if your life turned out like this!” Job declares praise, saying, “You can make me doubt a lot of things, but you can’t make me doubt God because God’s graces have been dispensed to me in such elaborate fashion that I cannot doubt them. Whether the Lord God gives or the Lord God takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”