“Serve the Lord with gladness, come into His presence with singing,” said King David, the man after God’s own heart. (Psalms 100:2)
And yet, we can get so lost in rituals and duty, obligations and service, that we forget the simply beauty of of connecting with God through worship.
King David clearly was the “expert” on praise and worship. He played for King Saul, and even danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. (2 Samuel 6:14)
Now, before you go trying that at home. Let’s be clear, about what it means to praise Him, and who God is, and his role in worship.
Zephaniah 3:12 tells us, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Did you get that? The Lord our God actually sings over us…not quiet whispers, just trying to get through another song before the sermon kind of praises….but He sings over us with LOUD SINGING! Imagine that? A God who sings over us!
Better yet, the “rejoice” in this passage literally means, “to d
ance, skip, leap, and spin around in joy.” Doesn’t that fascinate you? Doesn’t that blow your mind, startle the reality of a stoic God who judges with harshness, waiting to hurtle us into hell and condemn us….like some denominations preach to us?
Now if our God sings and dances, skips, leaps and spins around in joy over us, His children, broken vessels, mere mortals made like clay in the potters hands…how much more should we be exulting and praising and exhaling God will all we have in all of His excellency, for His kindness and mercy, for loving and dying for us when we don’t deserve it?
How much more should we pour out every breath in us, in praise and thanksgiving for every good gift He has given, to the God who put His breath in us, and walks with us and speaks to us like the Good Shepherd He is?
David, that incredible man of worship, who was overlooked as a child, slayed Goliath, submitted to Saul, until finally God made him King, goes on to describe what it looks like to praise our King…
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” (Psalms 150:1-6)
I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t look like wimpy praise, quietly “mouthing” the words, or half-heartedly standing in some church service to “pay our duty” to God.
This looks like enthusiastic worship, whole-hearted devotion, overwhelming overflow of gratitude and thankfully to a God who is in every way David’s savior.
And was it that David knew he was a sinner? Is it that David met with God out in the field’s when tending the sheep as a child? Is it that David knew God looked over all his seemingly amazing brothers and yet, set David apart, filling his heart with gratitude and joy?
I don’t know, but David has something, I think we can learn from. He knows that intimate place where the world is silenced, and his heart, mind, and souls is intentionally solely focused on God alone.
David knew the One who captivated Him so, and He wasn’t afraid or made intimidated by Saul, or Michal, He didn’t care what the people thought when He paraded himself in praise and worship to His king, His Savior, the Lover of His soul, the One who rules over Heaven and Earth.
Scripture tells us praise isn’t just something we do to “fill up time” in church on Sunday. It’s something we are, it’s the overflow of what’s in us, it’s a stirring that derives from gratitude in us, it’s way we honor and focus and direct our attention on the One who knows all the answers, has peace that surpasses understanding. Praise is connecting us with His heart, spiritual warfare, and will leave us different than we came.
- John 4:23 tells us, “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
- “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalms 150:6)
- Colosians 3:16 teaches, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
There is so much to be grateful for. If you are reading this, and are breathing, let’s take a second and give our God praise.
“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” (Psalms 96:1-9)
Here are some posts you can find here at Rich Faith Rising on thanksgiving and praise:
8 Biblical Victories Found In Praise and Thanksgiving
Come Out Of Hiding, Step Into Real Freedom
The Risk of Un-Apologentic Worship
What is Worship? In 5 Minutes Flat
The Desert: A Perfect Place To Worship
