Reverend Nicholas Batzig with CHURCH LEADERS recently wrote an article about the power of praising God in music! Batzig writes that too often, we go through the motion of singing to God while failing to give due consideration to the way in which God responds to His people’s songs of praise and adoration.
Throughout scripture, God calls His people to sing loud praises to Him for His goodness, grace, mercy, blessing, righteousness, justice and redemption. The joy that fills our hearts because of the goodness of God overflows into songs of praise and thanksgiving!
In another sense, however, scripture also teaches us to sing with anticipation of the works of deliverance and redemption that God has yet to accomplish, such as tenderizing hearts unto salvation and standing in faith for healing or deliverance from unfortunate circumstances.
The CHURCH LEADERS article may be read HERE.
My brothers and sisters, this writer recently wrote a FGGAM article titled “The Joy Of The Lord Is Our Strength.” It was all about giving God praise in music and how the resulting joy brings strength into our lives. The bottom line? It’s good to sing and play instruments unto the Lord (see Psalm 92:1)!
Scripture says that the joy of the Lord is our strength (see Nehemiah 8:10).
King David unapologetically danced before the ark of the Lord (see 2 Samuel 6:14-15).
Jehoshaphat appointed singers and instrumentalists to play songs of worship and praise with excellence, and to go before the army in battle (see 2 Chronicles 20:20-21). You see, there is power in our praise!
And, let’s never forget that our worship (praise) is a declaration of God’s goodness and power, and accordingly, is an effective weapon against the evil one. As mentioned in Batzig’s article above, while Paul and Silas were incarcerated, they chose to pray and sing to the Lord – loosing the mighty power of God and resulting in the salvation of the Philippian keeper of the prison and his entire family (see Acts 16:25-33).
So, let’s stir ourselves up and come to church this week determined to sing heartfelt praise to Jesus – for He alone is worthy!
Here are the above-referenced scriptures:
Psalm 92:1 (NKJV)
Praise to the Lord for His Love and Faithfulness
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, [a]nd to sing praises to Your name, O Most High…”.
Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV)
“…Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
2 Samuel 6:14-15 (NKJV)
“Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.”
2 Chronicles 20:20-21 (NKJV)
“So they [the Levites] rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘[h]ear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: [b]elieve in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.’ And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army [emphasis mine] and were saying: ‘[p]raise the Lord, [f]or His mercy endures forever.’”
Acts 16:25-33 (NKJV)
The Philippian Jailer Saved
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘[d]o yourself no harm, for we are all here.’ Then he [the jailer] called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, ‘[s]irs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘[b]elieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them [Paul and Silas] the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately [the jailer] and all his family were baptized.”
Praise Jesus forevermore!