Purpose and Power of Praise and Worship by Myles Munroe

Author:Myles Munroe
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Christian Rituals & Practice, Spirituality, Christian Life, Devotional, Praise of God, Religion, Worship & Liturgy, Prayer, Public Worship, General, Worship, Praise of God - Biblical Teaching
ISBN: 9780768421118
Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers
Published: 2000-11-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

How Are We to Praise God?

Be the concert. Don’t just attend one.

Praising God has many forms, all of which have a common denominator: Praise is always extroverted. In other words, praise can always be seen or heard. It cannot be hidden or kept silent. Therefore, all expressions of praise must be vocal or in some other way outwardly expressed.

For the Hebrew people, this seemed to be easy. A study of the Old Testament shows that they were an emotional, expressive people. Maybe this is why God liked them. They were not afraid to openly show how they felt about God. Celebration and exhilaration were regularly part of their worship.

This is not, however, always the case for us. Some Christians seem to prefer to sit and soak in church rather than to be active participants. Such behavior is not true praise. Just as you cannot cheer on your favorite sports team without moving around and making some noise, so you cannot praise God calmly and quietly. This is not to say that quiet times of worship are not sometimes appropriate—particularly after the presence of God has become manifested among His people. Yet, praise must be declared or manifested in some way. Otherwise, it is not praise.

Unfortunately, some of us are so inhibited that we refuse to abandon ourselves to praise. We don’t want to express it in an observable manner. To avoid this outward expression is to disobey God, since He specifically commands us to let the sound of our praise be heard:

Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard (Psalm 66:8).

Many people assume that this command refers to singing. Singing is not, however, the only form of biblical praise that can be heard. Shouting, clapping, laughter, singing and praying in the Spirit, and playing musical instruments are all expressions of praise that can be heard. We must be careful, therefore, that we do not exclude certain forms of praise simply because we are uncomfortable with them. Rather, we should seek to understand why we are uncomfortable and to make adjustments that will challenge our comfort zone. Otherwise, how can we fully proclaim the good tidings that are ours in Christ Jesus?

You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” (Isaiah 40:9)

The King James Version uses the phrase, “lift up thy voice with strength.” in this verse. This certainly seems to indicate that our praise is to reveal a definite conviction and involvement. We are not to speak or sing in a timid manner, but with energy and assurance. When we are uncomfortable, it is difficult to be either assured or energetic. Therefore, we must challenge ourselves to go beyond the forms of praise we have always used.

This is not to say that our praise is to be showy for the sake of show.

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