Let Us Praise
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:1-3
I remember church as a 5th grade student in a medium sized in Wichita, Ks. I remember loving coming up to the church for Sunday school as a child, youth group fellowships, helping out with VBS, and all the mission trips! It was FUN!
The one thing I don't remember is any of the worship services. We had them every Sunday, but I don't ever remember them being meaningful or life-changing. But on one occasion during a Sunday night revival we sang an old song entitled, "Pass It On" by Kurt Kaiser. It's on page 287 in the 1975 Baptist Hymnal! Singing this song was our introduction to contemporary worship. I remember this so well because the Sunday night of the revival was "Youth Night"!
When we began singing this song, the youth had planned to do something special during the chorus. We were so excited! The chorus of the song goes like this...
"I'll shout it from the mountaintop, I want the world to know, the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on."
What was so exciting for our youth group is when we all sang "I'll shout it from the mountaintop" all the youth shouted, "PRAISE GOD!" WOW! we had a part in worship.
What happened next was sad. Several of the adults around us, turned to us and gave us scolding looks and motioned to us to HUSH! I guess celebration and praise were frowned upon.
While I do believe there is a time and place for quiet worship, I also believe the Scriptures command us to CELEBRATE! I also believe what God has done in forgiving me of my sins, and giving me a new life deserves our praise! Praise and worship is our declaration of who God is and what He has done. My prayer for my family is that we would remember church throughout the week as a place where God's people explode in praise!
When we gather each week for worship and praise, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Let us remember what the Lord has done and celebrate what He is doing!
If you would like to study more scriptures on praise, click Here to read through 144 Verses of Praise! It's only 144! Don't worry if you can't read them all in one day. Take time reading, praying, and thinking on God's Word in praise.