Rolf Jacobson talks about praise psalms and their importance for our life today.
According to Jacobson, praise serves two functions in the psalms:
- as a form of testimony, to show others how God has acted in the world (i.e., “We are called to praise God not for God’s person, but for God’s mission.”); and
- as a form of direct communication with God, as a part of our relationship with God.
Jacobson concludes that praise is neither for transactional purposes nor for affirmation of God; rather, it is for witness and to show our dependence upon God.