Lifting the lid upon the soul
C. S. Lewis ponders praise:
I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it.
The world rings with praise, readers praising their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game - praise of weather, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers ... even sometimes politicians and scholars.
I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and immense minds praised most...
I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in this praise too - "Isn't she lovely?", "Wasn't it glorious?"...
The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.#
I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17)
In worship the soul is released to do what it is created for - PRAISE.
#C.S. Lewis - Reflections on the Psalms (Fontana 1961) page 80