C.S. Lewis initially struggled with the command to praise God, viewing it as akin to vanity. However, through reflection, he realized that "all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise." He observed that people naturally praise what they value, and this act isn't just expression but completes the enjoyment, bringing it to its appointed consummation. The delight one feels is incomplete until it is voiced.

Applying this to God, the ultimate goal revealed in Ephesians 1 is "the praise of the glory of his grace," established even before creation. God chose a people in Christ before the world began, predestining them for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. While one purpose of this choosing was that we should be holy and blameless, the ultimate aim was that we would praise the glory of his grace.

This pre-creation goal implies that God’s plan for salvation, including redemption and forgiveness through Christ's blood, was established in eternity past. Even before sin existed, God intended to display his grace in a way that would elicit praise. Drawing on Lewis's insight, God's desire for our praise is not self-serving but is intrinsically linked to his desire for our complete joy in him. Just as praising earthly things completes our enjoyment of them, our praise of God consummates our joy in his infinite worth and beauty. Thus, God's pursuit of our praise is an act of love, aiming for the fullness of our satisfaction in him.

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