Some thoughts about the praise rendered to musicians, or actors, or to a preacher for a fine sermon, or to an athlete:
The human soul finds that it simply can’t handle adulation of ourselves. It is not a good restaurant to go to—not a good feast to sit before. All public performers have had moments where they realized even to think upon it dives bombs the heart into sixes and sevens, making their performances go all to ribbons. Praise or publicity given before an immediate event to a performer can be especially difficult to figure out how to quickly deposit somewhere offshore. The emotions immediately tail-spin into thoughts of “Oh no, I’m my own hard act to follow.”
In short, praise can be an anguish. It can lead to a kind of runaway berserkness in the heart—and maybe even an addiction. I must have more…more. The only way to survive it comfortably is to do the act FOR God and give the praise to God afterwards. Deny it residence in one’s own heart.
This brings our thoughts to the praise of God. Is it vain for God to want praise from His people? It turns out that it is in some strange way an actual gift to His people. If there is a “being” in the universe who is so designed to withstand praise, even to be enhanced by praise, then that Divine Being becomes a repository for all praise on the earth, to the relief of mankind. One man who turned atheist soon discovered that his biggest problem was that when he had moments of gladness, he now had nobody to whom he could be grateful. The praise of God settles our disquiet forever.
