Worship and Praise Him

Psalm 33:1-9

English Standard Version (ESV)

33 ^(A)Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
    ^(B)Praise befits the upright.
² Give thanks to the Lord with the ^(C)lyre;
    make melody to him with ^(D)the harp of ^(E)ten strings!
³ Sing to him ^(F)a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

⁴ For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in ^(G)faithfulness.
⁵ He ^(H)loves righteousness and justice;
    ^(I)the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

⁶ By ^(J)the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    and by ^(K)the breath of his mouth all ^(L)their host.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea as ^(M)a heap;
    he ^(N)puts the deeps in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
⁹ For ^(O)he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2033:%201%20-%209&version=ESV)

The age old debate, “What kind of instruments belong in the church?”   From what I understand this is not a new debate but one that spans over many generations.  Even the piano and the organ were once taboo in the churches (and still is in some), they were bar instruments, not meant to be used in the holy place. I don’t know of many churches that use harps and lyres today like is mentioned in this scripture.  But that really isn’t the point.   David did play the harp skillfully and that is what he used to praise the Lord.   

Then, the next question, “Do we sing hymns or praise songs?”  Funny, I thought hymns were praise songs!!!!  The first definition in the Bing  Wikipedia dictionary is this, “ A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure orpersonification. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος (hymnos), which means "a song of praise". Collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymnbooks.”

I would certainly consider a “praise song” a hymn!!!!  Some may debate by “new song” we should change styles of music but I personally don’t think that is what this is saying.  I think the psalmist is telling us that the new song should be more in our attitude of praise.  Realizing what the Lord has done for us should be the bases for our praise not what type of song we are singing. 

So often when we are in worship service we get stuck on how we are singing rather to whom we are singing.  We get stuck on how loud the music is or how often we repeat a phrase, or that we can’t hear ourselves sing, and the list goes on.  At that point we are not singing a new song in our heart or if we are it certainly isn’t the song our Savior wants us to sing! 

When we praise the Lord we need to meditate on who we are singing to.  We need to realize that we are praising the One who made this world, the One who commands all things into being.  We need to focus on being in awe of Him not on the style of music, not on whether we should stand or sit, raise our hands, clap, and not on whether the person next to us is singing in tune or not but rather we should focus on the Lord!  When we do that, the music will bring glory to Him, there will be loud shouts of praise and adoration that has nothing to do with the song being sung!  There will be joy in the hearts of everyone.

Next time you have the opportunity, seek the Lord during your praise to Him and you will find Him in the midst of all that brings Glory to Him, whether from the hymnbook or the notebook.  If you don’t like the song being sung, then sing your own song to Him in your heart, He will hear it!  My dad never sings out loud at church even though he can sing, but I believe he worships even in his silence.  So, if you don’t like the song, don’t sing it, it won’t bring praise to the One you are to be praising.  Praise time should focus on the One worthy of praise, so be silent and focus on Him not your surroundings. If you are too tired to stand, then sit, but whatever you do, don’t focus on this world and its inhabitants, focus on the Lord and His glory and praise time will be a time of joy no matter what or how it is being sung! 

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila