“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.” (v1-5)
One thing I like about this psalm is it doesn’t feel the need to explain “why” we are to praise God – we are to just simply do it. Another thing that jumps out is there are multiple ways to praise God. You can sing, play an instrument, dance, or simply rejoice and be joyful in God’s presence.
Personally, I don’t worship God through music, since I don’t connect with music all that well. I’d rather sit in silence than listen to poorly curated music (eg. the radio [shudders]), it’s just not how I’m wired. If I get to carefully choose the songs myself, I can somewhat connect, but there are so many other ways to praise God, so why struggle to worship just one way?
God has given each born again believer spiritual gifts. When we use these gifts in God’s service this is also worship (if we do so with a properly postured heart of course). I worship by serving the Lord with my hands – perhaps through carpentry or writing. Everybody is unique and there are countless ways in which praise can be given to God – painting, serving a meal, cooking a meal, greeting people at a door, teaching, hosting a small group, childcare, etc. It’s not primarily the task that limits whether or not we’re praising God – it’s the posture of our heart.
My challenge for today is to worship and praise God in at least two different tasks – it doesn’t matter what the tasks are. The primary ingredient in whether we are praising God or not, is our heart. Are we doing something for our glory, or God’s? Are we doing something with a cheerful attitude as if we’re serving God directly, or are we doing something begrudgingly because “we don’t have a choice”. Let’s check our hearts in whatever we’re doing – remembering God’s and Jesus’ presence in our lives, all that they have done for us, and then completing our tasks with an attitude of love and gratefulness toward God.
Father God, O Lord Almighty, great and holy is Your name. We praise Your name for You alone are worthy of praise. Father please accept our meager praises, for we are weak and foolish, yet we long to give You the glory. Please help us to remain fully surrendered to You, so our hearts would declare Your praise regardless of the task at hand – whether we’re washing the dishes or proclaiming Your name through a microphone, would the result be the same. Thank you so much for Your steadfast love and sacrifice, for which we can never repay You, though our thankfulness abounds. To You be all honor, glory and praise, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training