Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150
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!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

Pam, my dear wife of 52 years, and I attended our church one morning recently when our pastor took his place for the Sunday message. He began, as he very often does, with an important question that I pose for your answer here. “When you think of praise and worship, what is the very first thing that comes to your mind?” While you consider this query for a moment, I must admit to you that the second most essential element was my answer. Pam, of course, was spot on to number one in her response.

So, what does comes to your mind first when you contemplate praise and worship? The strongest answer from our congregation was decidedly music. There are other options that you may have imagined. How about church services? Clapping? Dancing? Bowing? Shouting? Silence? Giving? The truth about all these observations is that they are methods, forms, and expressions of praise and worship. But are any of them the first thing we should take into account when we honor God?

Pam’s sincere and humble observation to this vital question was simply, “It is time to forget about myself.” This is an absolute fact, and it comes as a revelation when it needs to be routine. Even when our approach is well-meaning and honorable, there is simply no place at all for “me” when we praise and worship our Lord. Without surrendering ourselves as living sacrifices, we remain on the thrones of our lives and not on the altars where we belong.[1]

Let Everything Be Done
My answer came from a practical point of view, but it must be relegated to second place. Once we have deleted flesh and self from the relationship, we are free to do, say, sing, or pray; do anything that gives honor and glory to our great, mighty, and holy Triune God. Surely everything is to be done appropriately for the circumstances we are part of, but do not miss the reality that everything is to be done.[2] And in every situation, may our offerings of praise and worship reflect the prayer of the old chorus: “Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.”[3]

There are no Scriptural restrictions on how we should praise and worship, nor are there ever any limiting conditions. God never changes. He is always great. He is always to be praised greatly. His greatness is forever and ever unsearchable, without measure, vast, profound, and incomprehensible to human beings.[4] Neither does our duty to praise and worship God have limits, for He is far more worthy of our declarations of adoration than our imaginations can conceive.

Ask yourself, “How much glory is the King of Kings due from me? How extravagant should my offering be?” The Bible provokes this daily challenge: “Give unto the LORD the glory due His name.”[5] Considering what we understand concerning the nature of God, how are we to determine the way to fulfill that extraordinary order?

The Word of God Works
Begin with Scripture, for only the Living Word can clarify its own supernatural requirements for us. Daily reading and meditation on its holy contents is crucial as we seek to refine our gifts of love and reverence to God.

Scripture is Alive
This is no ordinary book. It can be and should be active at every moment of every day of our lives.[6] There is no situation in which we will find it irrelevant.

Scripture is God’s Breath
Every single word in your Bible was breathed out of the heart of God for you.[7] The Bible is our teacher, our disciplinarian, our conscience, and our guide in all righteousness.

Scripture is a Treasure
The Word can be stored and locked up, like any valuable, in the safe confines of our hearts. From there it inspires us and keeps us from sin, even in praise and worship.[8]

Scripture Is Engraved on Our Hearts
Bible verses and their truths are written by the Holy Spirit on the tablets of our surrendered hearts. Indeed, it is even our responsibility to ensure this process is constantly occurring.[9]

Scripture Sets Examples Before Us
Throughout the Word we read of real people with real lives in varieties of circumstances that are examples to us. David danced with joy, great enthusiasm, and physical might during a celebration to please God, even though some people found it fit to condemn him for it, including his wife.[10] Mary lifted her voice in honor and prophecy in an intimate setting, even though she faced the harsh judgements of a world that would never understand her condition.[11] Job complained to the Lord honestly while in misery and suffering at the hands of Satan, but he never ceased to honor God for who He is.

Scripture Provides Terminology
Our Bibles contain the language and the vocabulary we require for praise and worship. From Genesis to Revelation, we read words we can use to express the majesty, power, position, love, and nature of God in our prayers, our songs, and our ecstatic utterances to Him. When we read Scripture, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to remind us of the truths of our God and King so that we may give them voice in our praise and worship of Him.[12]

The Process is Simple
Forget about yourself.

Focus on your awesome God.

Give Him all He is due from you.

[1] Romans 12:1 [2] I Corinthians 14:40 [3] “I Love You Lord” Laurie Klein, Maranatha! Praise Band, 1980 [4] Psalm 145:3 [5] Psalm 29:2, 96:8; I Chronicles 16:29 [6] Hebrews 4:12 [7] 2 Timothy 3:16 [8] Psalm 119:11 [9] Proverbs 3:3, 7:1-3; 2 Corinthians 3:3
[10] 2 Samuel 6:14-22 [11] Luke 1:46-55 [12] Matthew 10:20; John 14:26