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Is God really enthroned upon the praises of His people?

 Submitted: 4/28/2009
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Question: I have used Psalm 22:3 to exhort the brethren, saying that their praise causes God to dwell in the midst of us. Upon further reading and review, the scripture seems to suggest that He is enthroned upon these praises or surounded by these praises. So is this scripture saying that God comes down to dwell or is it saying that the praises of Israel surround the Lord?
Answer: This is a great question, because we have seen this verse misused as a technique for manipulating God, which is crazy because God cannot be manipulated. The way we see it, the heart of praising God is acknowledging who He is. And when human beings acknowledge God for who He really is, He is attracted to them. It is like a little child saying, 'Daddy, I love you. You are wonderful.' Any dad who hears those words is going to be drawn toward his child. This is why the Presence of God is often manifested as people begin to praise Him.

The problem is when praise is used as a means to an end. Sometimes people are told to praise God in order to create a spiritual atmosphere or to bring down His glory or to bring a manifestion His presence. This is the wrong reason to praise God. People should be taught to praise God for who He is. No more.

As for your question about whether Psalms 22:3 is saying that God comes to dwell in the midst of praise or is surrounded by our praises, I think both are true. As our praises draw His presence toward us, they begin to surround Him.


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