He is your praise

Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise.  He is your God.

What is praise?  This verse says God is my praise but what does that mean?  The phrase has a lovely sound, and attracts my attention but I am not sure just what it means, so I have looked up the word “praise” in the dictionary and found four meanings, each of which brings a new level of insight to my understanding of who God is to my spirit:

1. He is my expression of approval and admiration.  I am who I am because of who He is.  I am a reflection of His approval of me as His child.

2. He embodies my worship.  My true worship is His praise.

3. He is “the state of being approved or admired.”  My act of worship is a main source of showing God’s greatness to all creation.

4. He is the ground for praise.  Nothing and no one else is worthy of praise.  Only God has that honor.  He is the essence as well as the source of praise.

I can tell I need to meditate on this for a while longer … this verse has a much deeper meaning than I ever dreamed I would find by looking that word up in the dictionary!