Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come into His courts. (Psalm 96:7-8)
What Does Ascribe Mean?
“Ascribe” is an old Middle English word that means attributing praise to God for the excellence He already has. We worship the Lord (Father, Son, and Spirit) and give Him credit because He deserves it. We chalk up all our blessings to God, and rightly connect Him with the good things we enjoy from His hands. Christ is the Father’s indescribable and inexpressible gift, too wonderful for words!1
So even when we lack earthly accomplishments like wealth, fame, or power, believers have Jesus, the highest prize and reward.2
Pastor Thomas Watson (1620–1686) said: “The motion of our praise must be like the motion of our pulse, which beats as long as life lasts. In prayer, we act like humans. In praise, we act like angels.”
C.S. Lewis notes that lovers adore each other, readers clap for their favorite poet, walkers admire the countryside, and players speak good words about their best-loved game. Their enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. Christ is supremely valuable, above and beyond everything else we prize. So we delight in praising Him, honoring Him, and talking about Him. We can’t help it! Praise not merely expresses but completes our enjoyment of the Lord!3
Here are some ascriptions of praise for personal, family, or small-group meditation to decentralize ourselves and help us look up to Christ, rejoicing in Him. I suggest that you read them aloud. These are from the Book of Psalms, with Fanny Crosby’s hymn stanzas scattered in between.4
Jesus and the Psalms
Psalm 7:17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the LORD Most High.
Psalm 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise You, O LORD, with all my heart. I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:7-11 The LORD reigns forever. He has established His throne and will judge the world in righteousness. He will govern all peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You have never forsaken those who seek You. Proclaim among the nations what He has done.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him, highest archangels in glory.
Strength and honor give to His holy name! (Fanny Crosby)
Comment: Praising the Lord warms our hearts and prepares us to pray to Him better. Let’s bless Christ today because He blesses us every day. Praise decentralizes us and honors God, our King, Savior, and Helper.
On the cross, Jesus said, “’It is finished. With that, He intentionally bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”4 At that moment, the salvation of His followers was forever achieved. God’s Son carried our sins away.5 Christ’s work, not anything in us, settled the issue. But one thing we must settle. Will we turn from our wrongs and trust in Jesus? He is the only Mediator between God and mankind?
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
More on Jesus and the Psalms
Psalm 13:5-6 I trust in Your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.
Psalm 18:46-49 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me and saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes. From violent people, You rescued me. Therefore, I will praise You among the nations, O LORD.
Psalm 30:4-5 Sing to the LORD, you saints of His. Praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 68:4-6 Sing to praise God, extol Him who rides on the clouds, and rejoice before Him. A father to the Fatherless, a Defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. He leads forth the prisoners with singing. But the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered and bled and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation.
Hail Him! Hail Him, Jesus the crucified. (Fanny Crosby)
Comment: We have never praised the Lord enough, and we never can. Christ’s people are to adore Him always, in this life and in the next, forever. Vance Havner said, “Jesus is the Bread of Life. His proportions are perfect. There is never too much or too little of anything in Him. Feed on Christ by faith for a well-balanced meal. All the vitamins and nutrients are contained in Him.”
God the Father listens attentively when His children help each other, reminding one another of His goodness. Let’s also encourage each other that Christ will completely deliver us from all that is wrong when He returns for us soon.
Go in peace, beloved. Walk with King Jesus today and be a blessing to others!
You can read Praise to Jesus (Part 2)
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 2 Cor 9:15. 2 Reflections on the Psalms (1958, p. 94-95). 3 Phil 3:7-14. 4 Frances (Fanny) J. Crosby (1820-1915) was an American mission worker, poet, and composer. She wrote more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed. She is also known for her teaching and rescue mission work. Fanny went blind when she was six weeks old, after a traveling doctor treated an eye infection with a hot mustard poultice that damaged her corneas. The hymn I’ve quoted, “Praise Him! Praise Him!”, was written by Fanny Crosby in 1869. The hymn’s lyrics encourage Christian believers to praise Jesus as our Redeemer, highlighting His love, sacrifice, and eternal reign. 5 John 19:30; Matt 27:49-50; Mark 5:37; Luke 23:46. 6 Isa 53:5; Matt 8:17; Rom 6:6, 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; Col 2:14; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 2:24-25; 1 John 3:5. See also: wohbm.org/what-christ-does-with-our-sins-part-1/. 7 1 Tim 2:5.