Many people are familiar with the saying “when praises go up, blessings come down.” Although many of us know this phrase to be a reality rather than a mere cliché, I believe it is more empowering for those who engage in transformational praise rather than transactional praise. So what’s the difference? For me, the concept of transactional praise includes an element of expected exchange and even negotiation. Well, you may ask, “what’s wrong with that? Shouldn’t we expect God to respond to our reverence of Him?” Yes, but implying that “I’ll give you praise and in return you will give me a blessing” is more reflective of what I call an ATM mentality. Transformational praise, on the other hand, is reverencing God with the expectation that we will be changed, transformed, and renewed so that we can become and experience all the He has planned for us.
The difference is that transactional praise focuses on what you will get from God
while transformational praise focuses on who you can become for God.
Do you praise God mainly because you want to exchange a need or discomfort for one of His gifts or receive a release? In other words, do you tell God how great He is so He can then fix something for you? This is what I call transactional praise. Seeking this type of exchange reflects negotiating with God about what we want from Him instead of seeking who we should be as His special creation in the earth.
Transformational praise is recognizing that we are fearfully and wonderfully created, we are special, and we are powerful ONLY because of God breathing His life into us. In order to be that great contribution to the world we were designed to be, we must constantly allow His Holy Spirit to help us renew our mind. Transformed thinking results in changed behaviors and the strengthening of our commitment to being the light of Christ with a humbled heart. This is what positions us for the blessings of the Lord.
Finally, transactional praise may not be considered wrong, but I don’t believe it is as empowering and fulfilling as transformational praise. To provide what I believe is a very good explanation of Romans 12:2, the Expanded Bible says “Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.”
Wow! How powerful is that? When we are renewed (transformed) in our thinking then we are better able to decide and discern what God wants for us.
Challenge: Let us consider our inner motives for why we praise our awesome God. Is it to exchange some unwanted experience or need for something else, or are we expecting to be transformed within so that we will know and commit to fulfilling God’s will for our lives?