Praise and Worship

When we look at the various psalms that David wrote, we see that he always gave praise to the Lord and worshiped at his feet. This should be our attitude! As we look as verses 1-3 we see that David starts with worship. In the first verse David declares that he will praise the Lord. This is in the first person and directed toward the Lord.

Let me pause here a moment and define praise and worship. Praise is what we say about God to others. Worship is what we say about God to God. Worship is a bit more tricky than that, but that's it in a nutshell. You will really need to study and ask the Lord to make it real to you. As we read through this psalm we can see that the line between praise and worship isn't so clearly defined. There are general differences between Praise, Worship, and Thankfullness. A reason the line is fuzzy is based on our attitude and consistency in what we do and say. It reflects the condition of our hearts. In it's simplest form Praise is telling others about the good things someone, in this case God, has done. Worship reflects our love for someone to that same person. It often includes what that person has done. As we look at this psalm the differences should become clear.

As we continue in verse one David declares that he will bless the Lord. Notice that he uses the first person pronoun "I" and directs this towards God in the second person "you." These are personal pronouns. What David is saying to the Lord can be translated like this: "I will rave about you Lord! I will adore your name forever!" The Hebrew words are indicative of ecstatic behavior. David is thoroughly uninhibited! All of this is carried on in verse two. In verse three David shouts "great is the Lord! He is worthy to be raved about! No one can even fathom his greatness!

Most Christians perform wimpy praise and mild worship. I want to take you to the place of high praise and a depth of worship that you've never experienced before. I would prefer to have you in front of me so I could demonstrate as we go through. Maybe one day that will happen. The problem most christians have is this: They are too dignified and refined to let loose and give quality praise and wholehearted worship. Praise and Worship Leaders, Choir Directors, and Pastors need to get a hold of how to praise and worship the Lord and then teach the congreagation to follow suit.

In verses 4-7 David moves toeward deeper and richer worship. He starts with a command to the people: "tell your children and your children's children (grandchildren) about the works of the Lord." The meaning of the word "prove" here means to commend. I believe what David meant was to let your children hear you give praise to the Lord and to let them observe your active worship. In verses 5-7 he goes right back to active worship. We can tell others about the Lord in the way we interact with the Lord. An example of this is this: The public affection (or lack of it) a husband or wife shows tells the whole world how they stand. What is done in public is a reflection of wahat is done in private. Those of you who are married know exactly what I mean. I believe David was very public with his praise and worship.

David tells how he will meditate (dwell) on the majesty and splendor of God and speak of his mighty miracles. One thing to note is that the Lord's handiwork speaks for itself. Our speaking about them is simply an acknowledgement of them. (ps 19:1-4) I believe that the correct translation of the word meditate here means to "declare." It seems to be the only consistent meaning that flows with David's intent. In verses 6-7 David continues to speak about the Lord's inspiring work.

As we continue with verse 8-13David speaks of the attributes of the Lord. It is an interesting thing to note that David moves from praise to worship, back to praise. It would seem that as he praises he is moved to worship. This is as it should be. We should be moved to worship when we see and speak of what the Lord has done.

I could take this psalm verse by verse, but the purpose of this study is to learn the priciples of praise and worship. I could take and list every minute step, but I would rather challenge you to do an in depth study of your own. I will, however, list some general principles that will lead you to a deeper level of worship.

First, in our praise, we must "rave" about the Lord's works. Call it "ecstatic praise." Secondly, we must "commend" or 'boast' to others about the Lord's works. Specifically to our children and grandchildren. If we don't have any, then to our friends and neighbors. Thirdly, in our meditation of the word we should speak of the Lord's handiwork. Fourthly, We will be driven to "celebrate" the Lord's power.

All of this will lead us to powerful worship. This is because we have focused on the Lord and his work. Ultimately, we will thank him, vocally, and aore him.That is what 'praise' and 'bless' mean in this passage. The way we praise and the way we worship will lead others to the Lord. In the congregation, when we sing, our songs should embody what we see in the psalms or be a reflection of what the Lord has done in our lives. More and more songs are being written todaythat powerfully declare the work of the Lord in his creation.

The people who stick to singing the hymns of the last two centuries are missing the point of praise and worship. While some of these songs are good, they don't reflectwhat the Lord has done in the singers life today. The season of singing three or four hymns without any anointing is long since over. We are too close to the end of the church age. Jesus is coming back sooner than we think. Are we ready?

Be Outrageously Blessed!

Pastor

Email: Soaring Eagle Ministries

Last updated February 20, 2004